Every day from now until the start of the season, Land-Grant Holy Land presents Ohio State Football players to keep an eye on this season. Check out all our “Player in focus” article to prepare for the season opener against Akron.
Ohio State’s offense, which has been characterized by a quick passing game, could see a greater shift to a run-heavy system in 2024. While the receivers are still incredibly talented and the quarterback play should improve, the stars of the show will likely be the best running back duo in the country, TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins.
Henderson, a former five-star prospect and the top running back in the 2021 recruiting class, has been a dynamic weapon for the Buckeyes when healthy, rushing for over 2,700 yards at 6.2 yards per carry with 32 touchdowns and 569 yards and five scores as a pass receiver in 31 career games. He returns for his final season and looks to build on the high points while avoiding the streak of injuries that have plagued him over the past two seasons.
Joining him in the backfield is Ole Miss transfer Quinshon Judkins. Judkins was a surprise addition to Ohio State’s squad this offseason and was an absolute top player for the Rebels in his first two college seasons, running for over 2,700 yards and 31 TDs on a whopping 545 carries (over 270 per year). The Alabama native was named Freshman All-American in 2022 and First Team All-SEC in 2023 for his performances and will continue his playing career in Columbus in 2024 in a true thunder-and-lightning combination alongside Henderson.
Those two guys will obviously get the bulk of the action, but they won’t do it alone. However, the four running backs behind Henderson from last year’s Ohio State team are all gone now. Chip Trayanum, who spent the last two seasons with the Buckeyes after transferring from Arizona State, is now at Kentucky. Miyan Williams decided to go pro, and Dallan Hayden and Evan Pryor landed in Colorado and Cincinnati, respectively.
Even with the signing of Judkins, that’s a lot of depth to lose at one position in the offseason, so the next man up behind the Buckeyes’ starting duo will be true freshman James Peoples.
Peoples comes to Ohio State as the No. 8 running back and No. 115 player nationally in the class of 2024, according to the 247Sports Composite. The San Antonio, Texas, native missed part of his final season due to injury but still averaged over 10 yards per carry in his final two years at Veteran Memorial and amassed an impressive 1,904 yards and 28 touchdowns in his junior season in 2022, earning him the San Antonio Express-Times Offensive Player of the Year award.
As a result, Peoples received nearly 30 offers from virtually every big name in the sport during the recruiting process. The 5-foot-10 running back first received his offer from Ohio State during a summer 2022 recruiting camp and ultimately chose the Buckeyes a year later from a group of six finalists that also included Alabama, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas and TCU. Although Peoples grew up in Texas, it likely worked to Ohio State’s advantage that his father is from Cleveland and his mother is from Youngstown.
Now, Peoples will be thrust into a major role right away. Of course, he won’t be expected to haul the ball 25 times a game or anything like that, but he will be on the field when the top two players need a breather and will likely be the main man when games get out of hand. Peoples was third in line behind Henderson and Judkins during training camp and recently shed his black uniform on August 9, showing that the coaching staff believes in his ability to play at this level.
“I feel very confident,” Peoples told the media earlier this month, “because of the intensity of the practices we’ve been doing with Coach Lock. I think if they call me, I’ll definitely be ready. (…) I bring grit to my game. I’m very competitive. I run fast every game. I’m a hard worker.”
Peoples has already shown a little of what he can do in Ohio State’s spring game, running for 40 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries and catching three passes for 23 yards. The running back seems to clearly understand his role on the team and will be ready when he steps into action — likely as soon as the Buckeyes’ first game on Aug. 31 against Akron.
“(A big role this season) could definitely come. But I just say I stay focused, work every day and it will take care of itself,” Peoples said. “I just have to focus on doing my job, coming to practice every day, doing my best and doing my job. I’m not too worried right now about where I’m going to end up, just being the best player I can be right now and seeing where it goes from there.”
In the 12-team College Football Playoff era, depth will be more important than ever. Ohio State has two of the best running backs in the country on its roster, but Henderson has had more than his fair share of injury issues in the past, and Judkins would rather avoid another 250 runs this season to save some tires for the next level. As a result, Peoples will be much more than just a garbage-time ball carrier for the Buckeyes this season, and it sounds like he’s up to the task.
