Ohio State sophomore running back Master Teague (33) talks with his teammates on the sidelines before the Ohio State-Alabama National Championship game on Jan.11 . Ohio State lost 24-52. Credit: Mackenzie Shanklin | Photo Editor
With several question marks entering spring practices, Ohio State’s running back room is looking to build off of last season’s success with a blend of youth and experience.
After losing former running back Trey Sermon to the NFL draft, the Buckeyes are picking up the pieces in their run game. As running backs coach Tony Alford looks for who will carry the load at the position, he pointed to a combination of competitiveness and unselfishness as highlighting factors of the positional competition.
“The older guys are really taking the young guys to help them out and teach them the ropes of how we do things here at Ohio State,” Alford said. “Highly competitive as I said, but very unselfish room.”
With the need to replace Sermon’s production — 870 yards and four touchdowns — Ohio State turns to a stacked group of running backs of all ages.
The Ohio State backfield will have six potential options to replace Sermon. Leading the pack is redshirt junior running back Master Teague, who tallied 514 rushing yards and a team-high eight rushing touchdowns last season.
Although the most experienced in the room, Teague said he is willing to play whatever role is asked of him.
“Of course I want to be that guy, but we continue to make each other better, compete,” Teague said. “Whatever is going to be best for the team that’s going to be my role.”
This unselfish mentality held by one of the room’s leaders is engrained in the culture of the unit, Alford said.
Outside of Teague, a trio of young running backs saw limited carries last season, as sophomores Steele Chambers, Marcus Crowley and redshirt freshman Miyan Williams combined for 25 carries throughout the shortened 2020-21 campaign.
Despite being limited in on-the-field production, the trifecta of running backs have served as a guiding light for the room’s pair of incoming freshmen — TreVeyon Henderson and Evan Pryor.
“The older guys, they give me a lot of tips, they taught me a lot of things,” Henderson said.
As Henderson and Pryor get acclimated to the Ohio State football program, one thing has stuck out to them: the brotherhood.
With the blue chip prospects finally getting their first taste of “the brotherhood,” Pryor emphasized its importance in the running back room.
“We started off by building the brotherhood first. We’re brothers first,” Pryor said. “We obviously know it’s competitive, but that’s not something that is spoken about every day. So we’re just gonna keep coming in every day and making each other better.”
As the group continues to gel, Alford emphasized the pleasure he has felt coaching them through the first week of spring ball.
“They’re fun kids, that’s the biggest thing. It’s a joy to come to work,” Alford said. “These kids, they’re fun-loving guys. They’ve got a great demeanor about themselves, they come to work every day.”
