Ohio State's Bo Jackson earns high honor after his performance against Purdue

Ohio State's offense has emerged as one of the top units in the country this season, thanks to its dynamic passing attack led by quarterback Julian Sayin and standout wide receivers Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate. However, the running game has struggled, averaging just 140.5 rushing yards per game, which ranks 80th among all college football teams.

Over the last few weeks, the running attack has started to pick up thanks to freshman running back Bo Jackson.

Jackson put in a solid performance in Week 11, tallying 14 carries for 75 yards. His efforts earned him the top grade among all freshman running backs, according to Pro Football Focus.

Bo Knows Ball @BoJackson2025 😤

Highest Graded @PFF_College Freshman RB from Week 11, 8️⃣0️⃣.1️⃣ pic.twitter.com/ls5G4MLq5s
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) November 12, 2025

Jackson is starting to find his footing, and in Week 10 against Penn State, he rushed 13 times for 105 yards.

The 19-year-old running back had a lot to sort out during his first half-season of college football. Compounding this challenge, he didn’t have much playing time in 2024, making his transition back to the game even more challenging. Last year, Jackson missed the majority of his senior season at Villa Angela-St. Joseph in Cleveland, Ohio.

Now that Jackson is back and healthy, he looks like he could be one of the next great running backs in Ohio State history, and head coach Ryan Day thinks Jackson reminds him of last year's running back, Quinshon Judkins.

“That has been an emphasis point. As you guys know we have talked about that. I think the short yardage, where there was a free guy in the hole and he (Bo Jackson) brought his own blocker, that kind of reminded me of Quinshon Judkins last year," Day said on Saturday. "That was a good step in the right direction for him. I thought we got better today because I thought we had more opportunities to run. These are young backs that we have to continue to give the opportunity to grow. I think we will see it on the film and get better from this game.”

Judkins played one season at Ohio State after spending his first two years at Ole Miss. Last season, he rushed for 1,060 yards and 14 touchdowns in 16 games, which contributed to the Buckeyes' national championship win.

Judkins' remarkable performance earned him a spot as the Browns' second-round pick this April, and he's making quite an impression in his rookie year in Cleveland. So far, he has rushed for 561 yards and scored five touchdowns over the course of eight games.