Offseason chatter in Columbus usually orbits around star quarterback Julian Sayin and target monster Jeremiah Smith. But when former Ohio State linebacker Bobby Carpenter dropped by the Buckeyes’ preseason scrimmage, his eyes locked onto the backfield. One explosive run from second-year back Bo Jackson completely stole his attention.
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Walking off the practice field on Friday, Carpenter caught a glimpse of what makes Ohio State’s run game dangerous.
“You are an Ohio State running back, and they made that perfectly clear. And it was awesome as I’m literally walking out on Friday, like, ‘Oh, you hear some cheers,’ and watching Bo [Jackson] put on a move at the second level and then
burst and go get, like, 60 yards. Those plays in the run game are critical to have because I think they’re going to be able to block it up,” said Carpenter on his show, The Bobby Carpenter Show, on August 18.
Carpenter knows a thing or two about the championship standard in Columbus. As a freshman linebacker on the legendary 2002 BCS National Championship team, he understands what top-tier talent looks like. When a veteran voice like his singles out a young running back, folks in Ohio listen.
Jackson didn’t waste time making a name for himself as a true freshman last season. Though he started the year down on the depth chart, he eventually took over the starting spot for 10 games, becoming just the fifth true freshman in school history to break the 1,000-yard rushing barrier with 1,090 yards and six touchdowns on the ground.
Filling the shoes of NFL-bound stars Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson was no small task, but Jackson stepped up. He grounded out 117 yards on 22 carries to help snap a four-year losing streak against arch-rival Michigan, proving he could deliver in big moments. As he enters 2026, Jackson is on the Doak Walker Award watch list, with expectations sky-high.
What makes Carpenter’s praise so unexpected right now isn’t just that Jackson is good; everyone knew that. It is the timing. Preseason camp scrimmages are usually loaded with heavy legs and basic play-calling. Seeing a starter rip off a 60-yard house call through traffic in middle August means Jackson has picked up an extra gear in physical conditioning during the off-season.
Head coach Ryan Day knows that carrying a preseason No. 1 ranking through the tough Big Ten slate requires more than just one playmaker. While backup sophomore Isaiah West has gained praise in practice, Day has made it clear that the whole running back room must perform at an elite level if Ohio State plans on holding onto that top spot all the way to January.
“We’ve got these pieces, but if we’re going to get to where we need to go, we need a high level of play at that running back position,” said Day, as reported by Cleveland.com in July.
The reason behind Ohio State RBs’ rise
For a long time, Ohio State has produced NFL talent at RB. The Buckeyes’ current coach at this position, Carlos Locklyn, also continued that trend after joining them in 2024. Under his guidance, Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson were drafted in the 2025 NFL Draft. But this offseason, no OSU RBs were selected.
That doesn’t mean OSU’s production has slowed down. Locklyn is focused on sharpening his RBs’ skills, and his strict locker room message doubles down on it.
“They didn’t come here for me to be nice to them. I told them, ‘I ain’t your best friend. I’m not trying to be your best friend. If you want to be my friend, guess how you become my friend. Make plays, do your job,'” said Locklyn this July in an interview with Buckeye Huddle.
To be a Buckeye RB, talent isn’t enough to cut it. Players have to convert that into winning games. It remains to be seen whether Bo Jackson can live up to this expectation.