How freshman Isaiah West is making a case to be Ohio State's RB2

The Ohio State Buckeyes have been running all over teams over the last few weeks.

And its a duo of freshmen tailbacks who are helping lead the ground game.

Bo Jackson is the Buckeyes' primary work horse, taking 110 carries for 725 yards and three touchdowns. He's currently breaking off major plays too, averaging 6.6 yards per attempt and just north of 80 yards a game. But while he's stealing the spotlight, counterpart Isaiah West is quietly shining in the background.

West, who's played in seven games this season, has taken 42 handoffs for 238 yards and two scores. He most recently took an uptick in production against UCLA this past weekend with Ohio State's CJ Donaldson being out with injury.

West looked efficient, taking eight carries for 61 yards and one touchdown, averaging 7.6 yards a carry. His yardage total is a season and career-high for the freshman. Not only were his numbers strong, but his film looked sharp with his ability to read the gaps and explode down the field.

Isaiah West 👀🔥 pic.twitter.com/jsfqRDRnQN
— Buckeye HQ (@RealisticBuck) November 16, 2025

Since the start of October, West has been involved more highly in the offense for Ohio State.

"If you would've told me that at the beginning (of the year), I definitely wouldn't have believed you, definitely," West said late last week. "It's been a long journey. I've had my ups and downs, but they've only made me better."

After playing a measly 15 offensive snaps through the first six games of the year, he has earned himself a larger role in the Buckeyes' offense. He has season-high carries in three of the last four matchups, averaging over 6.0 yards per carry in those outings.

Due to an injury he suffered before attending Ohio State, he wasn't on the field much during the offseason.

That meant he had to make up quick ground by impressing head coach Ryan Day, whether that be through watching film or studying the Buckeyes offense.

"I took pride in that," West said. "I made sure that I was locked in. I watched the film… So when I came in, it wasn't like I was two steps behind. I was right there with them the whole time."

Fortunately, he remained up to speed and when given the chance to play, he started making it a hard decision for the coaching staff on where West's role was.

While his involvement against the Bruins definitely was a bit higher due to CJ Donaldson being ruled out due to injury, its hard to not believe the coaching staff thinks he's right behind Jackson as the team's RB2.

Prior to injury, Donaldson had an incredibly high 72 carries for a measly 278 yards, marking an average of 3.9 yards a rush. He's been used in goal-line situations this season, which is why he has a team-high nine rushing touchdowns, but his actually productivity is very low. He simply shouldn't be taking away reps from West or Jackson.

The only other player that could be involved in arguments to be behind Jackson is James Peoples, who just like West, has actually been really effective in limited reps.

The second-year tailback has carried the ball 58 times for 289 yards, an average of 5.0 yards a carry, for two touchdowns. He's also caught 10 balls for 50 yards through the air, signifying an important role out of the backfield.

If anything, Donaldson's time has seemingly come with the Ohio State running back room.

Moving forward, the Buckeyes have to ride the hot hand and keep getting the ball to Jackson and West, with Peoples as a strong third.

Up next, the Buckeyes will have a chance to showcase their elite rushing attack on Saturday, Nov. 22, against Rutgers with kickoff slated for 12:00 p.m.

The Buckeyes lead the all-time series against Rutgers, 10-0, with the last matchup from Ohio Stadium resulting in a 49-10 victory.