When the Ohio State Buckeyes run onto the field on Saturday for their first game of the season against Ball State , there is a chance that running back Bo Jackson will not be among the starters, and Isaiah West will take his place.
In Ohio State's first three practices of fall camp, held the first weekend of August, West ran with the first team while Jackson ran with the second.
No practices have been open to the media or public since the first three days of fall camp so that a lot could have changed since then. However, Jackson could have taken the No. 1 running back spot from West since then. But Head coach Ryan Day praised West's offseason effort.
"You can see his body," Day said on the first day of fall camp."You can see the work he's put in. He had a tremendous offseason, one of the best in the whole building. Consistency, and when he was in there last year, he showed some real good things. So we want him to take the next step, just as we do Bo."
West was a true freshman last season, along with Jackson. In the first game of the season last year, Ohio State didn't utilize Jackson or West, likely because it was playing Texas . Shortly after that, Jackson took over as the primary running back.
Jackson rushed for 1,090 yards on 179 attempts and scored six touchdowns in 13 games. West found his footing in the middle of the season and became Ohio State's No. 2 running back. He rushed for 310 yards on 59 attempts and scored two touchdowns in 10 games.
Even if Jackson remains the No. 1 running back and West is his backup, that is a great thing for Ohio State.
It's hard to win a championship without having a two-headed running back monster, and Ohio State can tell you because it had one when the Buckeyes won in 2024. Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson led the way for Ohio State that season and then became second-round picks in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Jackson or West could start the game, with the other coming in to relieve the first player. This means Ohio State's offense could keep performing effectively, which would be a significant advantage. It will be intriguing to see how Day manages the running back rotation in the first week of the season.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/ohiostate as Biggest Ohio State Football Camp Winner (And What Their Role Is Now) .
