One Glaring Red Flag That Could Sabotage the Ohio State Buckeyes

The Ohio State Buckeyes won the national championship last season thanks to having a stacked roster from top to bottom, but some of their position groups were still obviously stronger than others.

One area in which Ohio State particularly excelled was at running back, as the dynamic tandem of Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson propelled the Buckeyes' offense to another level.

Yes, Will Howard was brilliant, and Jeremiah Smith's greatness needs no introduction, but the rushing attack of Judkins and Henderson definitely opened up the passing game for Ohio State.

Here's the problem, though: both Judkins and Henderson departed for the NFL this offseason, leaving the Buckeyes to sort of start over in their backfield.

Ohio State will be rolling with James Peoples and West Virginia transfer addition C.J. Donaldson as its top two halfbacks in 2025, with Sam Williams-Dixon, Bo Jackson and Anthony Rogers on the outskirts.

While Peoples has potential and Donaldson was decent for the Mountaineers, the duo does not quite seem to have the same ceiling as the two-pronged attack of Judkins and Henderson a year ago.

Judkins was an absolute stud at Ole Miss before transferring to Columbus, and Henderson already had a 1,000-yard campaign under his belt before 2024.

Ohio State fans became spoiled by last year's running backs, and there is a good chance that Peoples and Donaldson put forth far less production than the previous two stars at the position.

This could absolutely have an adverse effect on the Buckeyes' offense as a whole, especially with the quarterback position completely unsettled heading into the new season.

Of course, it's possible that Peoples enjoys a breakout campaign, and perhaps playing for Ohio State will truly bring the best out of Donaldson. But there is no doubt that the backfield is a massive question for the Buckeyes right now, and it could ultimately sabotage their chances of a repeat.

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