Ohio State Could Try Out Five-Star Transfer At New Position

The Ohio State Buckeyes may have one of the best running back tandems in the country with TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins, and it’s hard to fathom the group could be even scarier by the time the regular season starts.

According to head coach Ryan Day, OSU is contemplating trying out five-star safety Caleb Downs, the top-ranked player in the 2024 transfer portal, at running back at some point next season.

While the move may appear to be a bit out of left field, Downs was actually a standout running back at Mill Creek High School in Georgia.

He averaged 6.8 yards per carry while rushing for 389 yards and 20 touchdowns as a senior in 2022. Downs ended his high school career with 102 carries, 648 yards and 27 touchdowns.

“It was part of the recruiting process, (him) possibly doing a little bit of running back as well,” Day told reporters. “It’s something he wanted to do. We’ve been having him in some of the meetings and some of the individual drills as a possibility there if needed down the road as we continue to build depth at that position. … Where it goes, I don’t really know right now, but I know he has the athleticism to do it.”

The Buckeyes are pretty well set at the top of the depth chart with Judkins, who rushed for 1,158 yards and 15 touchdowns last season at Ole Miss, and Henderson, who had 926 yards and 11 touchdowns.

But the depth behind the duo leaves much to be desired. OSU has Evan Pryor, Dallan Hayden, James Peoples, Sam Williams-Dixon, TC Caffey and Will Hartson, but all have either limited or no NCAA experience, which could open the door for Downs to get some reps in the backfield.