Ryan Day highlights ‘different weapons’ Ohio State has entering 2025 season

Ohio State saw 14 players from its 2024-25 national chamionship team get drafted into the NFL last month. This left holes for the Buckeyes to fill throughout its roster, and head coach Ryan Day has expressed his confidence in the players he’s seen step up during spring training.

Particularly on offense, Day believes players from both the tight end and receiver position will be a strong suit for the Buckeyes offense in 2025. One position he’s excited about, however, is the five-player deep running back room he had gotten to watch during the spring.

“It starts at tight end, where we have more options there, probably than we’ve ever had since I’ve been here,” Day explained. “So that’s exciting. We have some different styles of wide receivers, and we’re building some depth at running back as well. So that part is fun. James [Peoples] really did have a good spring. It’s hard to tell when you’re in the spring on running backs since we’re not really tackling as much to the ground than we did with CJ Donaldson. I thought he got better as the spring went on. And I thought Bo Jackson showed a lot for a freshman as well.

“Sam Williams-Dixon is fighting. He’s had some good practices. I thought he got better. And then we’ll have Isaiah getting healthy, and then [Anthony Rogers] coming in. So, more depth in that room as well.”

During the spring, Day said that Peoples has a chance to be a “special back” despite being largely inexperienced. He took 49 carries for 197 yards and a pair of touchdowns as a freshman last season.

Williams-Dixon is the only other player that saw action in the Buckeyes’ backfield last season. Donaldson is a transfer from West Virginia, while Jackson and Rogers are both incoming freshman.

Day gave credit to his coaching staff for being able to fill the running back room that just lost two 1,000-yard rushers in Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson, who were both drafted into the NFL last month. However, Day reiterated he’s excited about more than just his running back room, however.

“I think [RB coach Carlos Locklyn] has done a nice job of building depth,” Day said. “We also have depth in the tight end room, and then we have some different styles of guys at the wide receiver position. So again, where does that go? We’ll see. But [we’ve got] some good, good players to work with.”

With Ohio State’s roster filled with talent ahead of the 2025 season, the potential of a second national title in a row is certainly on the table. That effort begins this fall with a blockbuster matchup to begin the season against Texas at home.