Chip Trayanum 'Runs Very Similar' To Buckeyes Legend
The Ohio State Buckeyes' leading rusher wasn't TreVeyon Henderson or Miyan Williams. No, it was Chip Trayanum.
Trayanum ran 57 yards on eight carries and had the Buckeyes' second-longest run of the day in addition to catching one pass in traffic for 12 yards to pick up a third-and-8. Trayanum was one of No. 3 Ohio State's top offensive performers Saturday in its 23-3 win against the Indiana Hoosiers, and he caught the attention of one former Buckeyes running back.
"Chip #19……. Runs very similar to me," Maurice Clarett said in a post on X. "I’d keep him in. Just my arrogant opinion."
Ohio State's national champion running back continued his praise in the replies of a post that asked if Trayanum was the "best running back in America."
"He should be the starter and they should build around him," Clarett said Monday. "It would take pressure off of (Kyle) McCord. He's the most explosive and aggressive out of the bunch. It's not to slight the other guys. It's just my observation. I hate comparing because it sounds like I'm downing others."
While he's not the best ball-carrier in the country, Trayanum had the best tape of the Buckeyes' tailbacks Saturday.
The Akron, Ohio, native showed great vision, made cuts, got downhill and broke through would-be tacklers to rack up 45 yards after contact, according to Pro Football Focus. Trayanum recorded a 312.5 elusive rating — a PFF stat that measures "a running back’s success beyond the point of being helped by his blockers" — which is best in the Big Ten and 24th in the Football Bowl Subdivision.
Head coach Ryan Day confirmed after the game that Henderson and Williams are still the Nos. 1 and 2 running backs with Trayanum "right there" while Dallan Hayden is also "deserving" of carries. He said the heat Saturday contributed to the frequent rotations at running back.
"It was a couple of drives there that we moved the ball down the field," Day said. "It was about time to go with the new back because of how long those drives were, so it's going to be a long season. They're all going to carry it."
When Trayanum transferred from Arizona State last season, he made the transition from running back to linebacker. He was a special teams regular, playing 66.2 percent of his 231 snaps on kick and punt return and coverage with two snaps on Ohio State's field goal and extra point block, but still played 36 snaps on defense.
Trayanum had just one carry all season — a 9-yard rush against Iowa — before getting thrust into the feature back role against Michigan due to injuries to both Henderson and Williams. He ran 14 times for 83 yards against the Wolverines, cementing the position change from linebacker to running back.
