Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 2 games
| Wk | Opp | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 56-3vs Ball State | 9 | 83 | 9.2 | 1 | 65 | Season-high 83 yds |
| Wk 2 | L 23-24@ Texas | 19 | 74 | 3.9 | 0 | 11 | |
| Total | 28 | 157 | 6.5 | 1 | 65 |
#25
Bo Jackson
A freshman named Bo Jackson ran for over 1,000 yards at Ohio State last fall -- joining a list that includes Maurice Clarett and JK Dobbins. The name is a coincidence. The talent isn't.
6′0″ · 218 lb · Cleveland, OH
CFB Index 75 · #29 of 326 RBsHigh confidenceReturning to Ohio State for 2026
CFB Index
A single number blending on-field production (an EPA-based value lane) with box-score output for this player's position.
0-100, scaled within each position's own cohort — not directly comparable across positions.
The numbers
157
rushing yards · 2026
1 TD · 5.6 per carry · 5 catches
2 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 74 rush yds, 37 rec yds, at Texas
Swing playSwung Ohio State from 40% to 63% to win.Indiana at Ohio State · 13-10
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
A freshman named Bo Jackson ran for over 1,000 yards at Ohio State last fall -- joining a list that includes Maurice Clarett and JK Dobbins. The name is a coincidence. The talent isn't.
- Signed as a 4-star recruit to Ohio State in 2025.
Aura™ · Him Watch
Aura tax
+45aura tax
Fans rank this player in the 87th percentile of RBs; the tape says
42nd pctl our rushing-value metric (wEPA) RBs · 140 qualified, n=121
— more hype than the tape.Aura — fan perception87th pctl
Production — on-field42nd pctl
n=121 mentions · cohort: RBs · 140 qualified · perception = conversation volume, production = our rushing-value metric (wEPA)
Buzz vs Tape
Fans warmer than rivals
His own fans are far more bullish than the rival fanbase.
24.7own fans
-27.7rival fans
Ohio State Buckeyes’ young running backs face big expectations—can they power the offense to a national title? Carlos Locllyn puts his faith in up-and-coming stars like Bo Jackson, Legend Bey, and Ja'Kobi Jackson, insisting that patience…
Also worth knowing:
In Their Words
555 windows · 2026 fan posts
jackson×16.0peoples×233.4brad×51.4sayin×38.5blocked×220.1siereveld×81.1kenyatta×53.1great×11.2
“Jim Harbaugh had 5 more rushing yards and 2 more rushing TDs than Bo Jackson”
reddit/CFB · fan post, verbatim
The story
Jackson's first season was a statement: 1,090 rushing yards at 6.1 a carry, enough to make him the fifth true freshman in Ohio State history to crack 1,000 -- company that includes Robert Smith, Maurice Clarett, JK Dobbins, and TreVeyon Henderson. A teammate, James Peoples, transferred out this offseason in part because Jackson had simply become the guy.
The forward case is about the gap between good and great. He scored just six rushing touchdowns -- low for an Ohio State back -- and may share carries with returning and added depth, so 2026 is about efficiency and finishing, not just volume. On a national-title contender stacked with Sayin and Jeremiah Smith, a back who Resolves 2027-01-20. is the piece that tips a very good offense into an unstoppable one. The name will always draw the double-take. This is the year he makes people remember him for his own.
The record
A falsifiable call from this player's outlook. Not yet gradeable.
What we said
turning 1,000 quiet yards into 1,400 loud ones
Graded as: at least 1,400 rushing YDS in 2026.
What happened
Resolves 2027-01-20.
PENDINGHis career
He was winning awards before he was old enough to be a story.
The week the volume broke through — put up 117 yds at Michigan.Michigan · W 27-92025
Jackson is a one-cut runner with a second gear -- he presses the hole, plants, and is past the second level before the angle closes, which shows up as an 85th-percentile yards-per-carry and a 72nd-percentile explosive-run rate as a true freshman. He's not just a between-the-tackles back; 19 catches keep him on the field on third down, a fit for the way Ohio State spreads you out and runs behind it. The honest gap is the finish: his success rate sat in the 67th percentile and his touchdown rate in the bottom fifteen -- he hits the big one but doesn't yet own the grind or the red zone, which is how a back with his yardage scored only six times. So 2026 isn't about whether he's good; it's whether the explosive freshman becomes the complete one -- the same chunk runs, more of them ending in the end zone.
Written by our staff.
202513 games
- Signed with Ohio State4-star out of Villa Angela-St. Joseph
- All-Big Tensecond
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★★
CFB
College
Ohio State
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Trophy case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
🎖
ALL-BIG TEN · 2ND TEAM
All-Big Ten 2nd team (2025)
🎓
FRESHMAN HONORS
Freshman recognition (2025)
1 mention(s)
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
2 seasons under Ryan Day — 13-3 over that span.
2025Ohio State12-2HC: Ryan Day · Run-leaning
2026Ohio State1-1HC: Ryan Day · Balanced
Where this profile ranks vs the RB cohort
Box-score percentiles
High confidence
Elite: long run (87th percentile). Strength: yards / carry (80th percentile). Concern: carries (0th percentile).
Box-score rates (7)
Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score rates.
Splits & context
Splits
Per-game splits
Through 2 games: 78.5 YDS/g, 6.5 YPC, 0.5 TD/g — splits start at 3 games.
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Ryan Day
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Awards
Player standing · 2026
Backup
On the two-deep and pushing for snaps.
Recognition
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
2026 outlook
In the mix to repeat All-Big Ten
Based on 2025: #6 of 44 Big Ten RBs
How the All-Big Ten estimate is computed
35% estimated, 95% confidence interval 31–38%. Base rate measured from players who finished at a comparable rank in their conference and came back the next season. It is an estimate from a small sample, not a forecast of this player.
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Ohio State | 28 | 157 | 5.6 | 1 | -- |
| 2025 | Ohio State | 179 | 1,090 | 6.1 | 6 | -- |
| Career | 207 | 1,247 | 6.0 | 7 | -- |
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Ohio State | 5 | 50 | 10.0 | 0 | -- |
| 2025 | Ohio State | 19 | 200 | 10.5 | 1 | -- |
| Career | 24 | 250 | 10.4 | 1 | -- |
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 1 · 2026
W 56–3
vs Ball State
Signature plays
Signature plays · top plays by |EPA|
The plays that mattered most
- Week 1 · Ball State · 1&10 · Q3 · EPA +5.24Shotgun #25 B.Jackson rush left for 65 yards gain to the BallSt00 TOUCHDOWN, clock 11:29, 1ST DOWN #96 C.Hawkins kick attempt good (H: #42 J.McGuire, LS: #55 D.Riggs)
- Week 1 · Ball State · 2&11 · Q3 · EPA +1.70Shotgun #10 J.Sayin pass complete short left to #25 B.Jackson caught at OhioSt25, for 13 yards to the OhioSt35 (#1 S.Smith), 1ST DOWN
- Week 2 · Texas · 1&10 · Q1 · EPA -1.31(03:57) #25 B.Jackson rush left for 1 yard loss to the TEX49 (#1 C.Simmons)
- Week 2 · Texas · 1&4 · Q1 · EPA -1.28(13:36) #25 B.Jackson rush left for 9 yards loss to the TEX13 (#14 B.Spence; #28 J.Cryer)
- Week 1 · Ball State · 1&10 · Q1 · EPA +1.04Shotgun #25 B.Jackson rush right for 11 yards gain to the OhioSt48 (#2 Q.Scandrett), 1ST DOWN
- Week 1 · Ball State · 1&2 · Q2 · EPA -1.00#25 B.Jackson rush left for 1 yard loss to the BallSt03 (#56 A.Glenn)
- Week 2 · Texas · 1&10 · Q3 · EPA +0.91(15:00) Shotgun #25 B.Jackson rush left for 8 yards gain to the OSU33 (#28 J.Cryer; #4 J.McDonald). #28 J.Cryer injured on the play
- Week 2 · Texas · 3&18 · Q2 · EPA +0.80(01:54) Shotgun #10 J.Sayin pass complete short right to #25 B.Jackson caught at TEX25, for 10 yards to the TEX12 (#28 J.Cryer; #4 J.McDonald)
- Week 2 · Texas · 2&3 · Q4 · EPA -0.80(05:08) Shotgun #25 B.Jackson rush left for 1 yard loss to the TEX27 (#28 J.Cryer; #19 Z.Umeozulu)
- Week 2 · Texas · 2&2 · Q3 · EPA +0.80(14:22) #25 B.Jackson rush middle for 11 yards gain to the OSU44 (#8 K.Phillips), 1ST DOWN
Game log
How he plays
Play style
Jackson is a one-cut runner with a second gear -- he presses the hole, plants, and is past the second level before the angle closes, which shows up as an 85th-percentile yards-per-carry and a 72nd-percentile explosive-run rate as a true freshman. He's not just a between-the-tackles back; 19 catches keep him on the field on third down, a fit for the way Ohio State spreads you out and runs behind it. The honest gap is the finish: his success rate sat in the 67th percentile and his touchdown rate in the bottom fifteen -- he hits the big one but doesn't yet own the grind or the red zone, which is how a back with his yardage scored only six times. So 2026 isn't about whether he's good; it's whether the explosive freshman becomes the complete one -- the same chunk runs, more of them ending in the end zone.
Our classifier reads him the same way: hits the crease and outruns the angle.
2026 Outlook
Ohio State
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Running back · Ohio State
Returning around him
- 68% of 2024 offensive production back (Solid continuity)
- 11 Ohio State players drafted to NFL
- Transfer portal: -21 net (17 in / 38 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
Ohio State · Last season: 12-2 (AP #3) · Talent rank #5 · 2026 recruiting class #4
DNA match
Player DNA
Speed Merchant
Cuts upfield fast. Designed to find the crease, not run through the line.
RB
His 2025 production profile sits closest to King Miller’s 2025 season.
76%match
Matches King on
Total rush EPA (college ability)
EPA / carry (adj)
Weight
Differs from King on
Yards / reception (higher)
Rush TD rate (lower)
Through 2 college seasons, his career arc tracks closest to Marcellous Hawkins’s path through Virginia Tech.
91%match
Matches Marcellous on
Yards per carry
Weight
Height
As a freshman, his production profile tracks closest to King Miller's freshman season at USC (2025).
77%match
Matches King on
Total rush EPA (college ability)
EPA / carry (adj)
Weight
Differs from King on
Yards / reception (higher)
Player DNA
Players who play like Bo Jackson
Heisman trajectory
Heisman Trajectory · 2026
Peak #50
Peaked at #50 this season.
Background
Career Highs 22 Attempts at Michigan (Nov. 29, 2025) 117 Rushing Yards at Michigan (Nov. 29, 2025) 2 Rushing Touchdown vs. Rutgers (Nov. 22, 2025) 64 Rush Long vs. Ohio (Sept. 13, 2025) 5 Receptions at Wisconsin (Oct. 18, 2025) 57 Receiving Yards at Wisconsin (Oct. 18, 2025) 1 Receiving Touchdown...
The backfield · Ohio State
- #25Bo Jackson1,090 rushing yards · 2025
- #32Isaiah West310 rushing yards · 2025
- #24Ja'Kobi Jackson98 rushing yards · 2025
- #28Stanley Jackson Jr.no box-score line yet
- #21Anthony Rogersno box-score line yet
2 more on the roster · Ohio State team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology