Big Ten Daily (April 23): Ex-Ohio State RB Dallan Hayden Transferring to Colorado
Ex-Ohio State running back Dallan Hayden has decided to play for Deion Sanders. The former four-star recruit told On3's Steve Wiltfong that he has decided to commit to Colorado to continue his college football career.
Hayden, a native of Memphis, Tenn., spent two seasons in Columbus. He had an outstanding freshman campaign in 2022, stepping up in a big way as the Buckeyes battled injuries and depth issues during the year. He ended his first season with 553 yards and five touchdowns on 111 carries.
Last season, with TreVeyon Henderson, Chip Trayanum, Xavier Johnson and Miyan Williams all in the mix, Hayden saw limited action for the Buckeyes. As a sophomore, he appeared in just three games, totaling 110 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries.
Hayden's best performance of the year came in a 41-7 win over Purdue, finishing the afternoon with 76 yards and a touchdown on 11 touches.
Hayden joins a Colorado squad that finished the 2023 season with a 4-8 record. The Buffaloes also owned the worst rushing offense in college football last season (133rd), averaging just 68.9 yards per contest on the ground. Colorado ended the year with a total of 827 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns.
Because Hayden played in just three games at Ohio State last season, he was able to retain a redshirt year. He will have three years of eligibility to use in Boulder.
Gayle goes from Ohio State to Michigan
While we're talking about Ohio State, how about the transfer decision of former Buckeye basketball player Roddy Gayle Jr.? The rising junior is headed to Ann Arbor to continue his career at Michigan.
Insert the Mark Jackson, "What happened to the game I love?" meme here.
Gayle made the announcement on his Instagram page on Monday. He entered the NCAA transfer portal after spending two seasons in Columbus.
Ohio State went through a coaching change last season. Near the end of the season, the program decided to part ways with Chris Holtmann and tabbed Jake Diebler as the interim coach. After leading the Buckeyes to an 8-3 record in their final 11 games, Ohio State removed the interim tag and named Diebler the permanent head coach.
Michigan also underwent a coaching change, but that came at the conclusion of the 2023-24 campaign. The school terminated Juwan Howard after an 8-24 record and hired Florida Atlantic's Dusty May.
Gayle averaged 13.5 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game for the Buckeyes last season.
Minnesota's Hawkins hits portal
One of the best passers in college basketball has entered the transfer portal. Minnesota's Elijah Hawkins has decided to explore his options outside of Minneapolis.
Hawkins initially confirmed that he'd return to Minnesota earlier in the offseason. But in today's world of college basketball, nothing is certain.
"I'm definitely coming back next year," Hawkins said, via the Star Tribune. "In the offseason we have to grind it out -- and we'll have more experience next year."
Hawkins averaged 9.5 points and 7.5 assists per game for the Golden Gophers last season. He ranked tied for second nationally in assists per game. Purdue's Braden Smith also averaged 7.5 per game.
Hawkins will have one year of eligibility remaining. The Golden Gophers ended last season with a 19-15 record and made an appearance in the NIT.
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