Grading Ohio State: Bo Jackson became a star at running back, do the Buckeyes need more?

Taking a closer look at the Buckeyes' running back room, present and future.

Bo Jackson went over 1,000 rushing yards for the season in Ohio State’s loss to Indiana. (Photo courtesy of Ohio State athletics)

COLUMBUS — Running backs are up next as we continue our look at Ohio State’s position groups ahead of the College Football Playoff and assign each group a grade with the help of our Substack subscribers.

Let’s get into it.

What happened this year

Ohio State’s running back plan worked perfectly last year.

Quinshon Judkins came over from Ole Miss to join TreVeyon Henderson. The pair formed the best tandem in the country. The coaching staff laid out a blueprint that split the carries evenly and kept both players fresh for the postseason, where they were instrumental in a run to a national championship.

It seems like Ohio State would prefer to follow that plan as closely as possible in future seasons, but it hasn’t exactly gone that way this year.