In a move that has been speculated for months, former starting running back Dallan Hayden has announced his intentions to transfer from Ohio State. 247Sports‘ Matt Zenitz broke the news on Monday, April 8.
Ohio State running back Dallan Hayden has informed the Buckeyes staff that he plans to enter the transfer portal when the spring portal window opens, sources tell @247sports.
Hayden, a former four-star recruit and the son of former Tennessee and NFL RB Aaron Hayden, ran for 553… pic.twitter.com/kwcfMuUffn
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) April 8, 2024
Former Ohio State Starting Running Back Dallan Hayden to Transfer
Hayden was a four-star recruit out of Memphis, Tennesse, and is the son of former NFL back Aaron Hayden and ChaToya Hayden. He was the lone running back in the Buckeyes’ 2022 class. He had an incredible freshman season thanks to waiting his turn and a myriad of injuries. In 10 games, Hayden ran the ball 111 times for 553 yards and five touchdowns. He recorded his first start in the College Football Playoff Peach Bowl against Georgia.
Last season, Hayden only appeared in three games. Head Coach Ryan Day confirmed midseason that the Buckeyes were monitoring Hayden’s appearances to save his redshirt. So, he finished with just 110 yards and one touchdown off of 19 carries. In addition, over the last two years, Hayden caught five passes for 21 yards.
He posted three 100-yard games in his career, all in 2022. He takes with him a career 5.1 yards per carry and three years of eligibility remaining.
The Ohio State Depth is Suddenly Challenged
Last season, the running back room was seemingly a strength. Between TreVeyon Henderson, Miyan Williams, Chip Trayanum, Dallan Hayden, and walk-on TC Caffey, the Buckeyes could call upon any one of their talented backs and know they could get the job done. Now, Williams (NFL), Trayanum (Transfer to Kentucky), and Hayden are gone. They did, however, take in Ole Miss transfer, Quinshon Judkins, forming quite possibly the top one-two punch in college football.
Henderson is considered RB1, as he has been for the last three years when healthy. He hasn’t been able to replicate his elite freshman season, but in total, Henderson has given the Buckeyes 2,745 yards and 32 touchdowns off of 446 carries. He’s added 569 yards and five touchdowns off of 50 receptions out of the backfield. Again, when healthy, Henderson has shown he’s one of the top backs in the country. However, over the last two years, that “when healthy” caveat is necessary. He missed seven games while battling various injuries. He has nine 100+ yard games and even ran for 270 in his breakout game in 2021 in the win over Tulsa.
The other leg of the depth is Judkins, the Ole Miss transfer. In just two years, Judkins ran for 2,725 yards, good for third-most in Ole Miss history for a player’s CAREER. Meanwhile, his 31 touchdowns rank second. He broke out in 2021 to the tune of 1,567 yards and 16 touchdowns, both SEC bests. He’s an incredibly physical back and is going to fit right in in the Big Ten.
However, while Ohio State has a pair of great-to-elite running backs at the top of the depth chart, the depth is suddenly a concern. Three productive departures versus one incoming transfer does not provide comfort. The most productive remaining depth piece is Caffey, the walk-on who has a career mark of 66 yards and a touchdown off of 10 carries.
The Buckeyes did not secure any running back recruits in the 2023 cycle, so they double-dipped in 2024 with James Peoples and Sam Williams-Dixon. Peoples was the biggest recruiting win at the position in this cycle as he’s a four-star recruit and the seventh-best at the position in the nation, according to 247Sports. Peoples looks like he could be a day-one contributor if asked and has great vision and receiving abilities out of the backfield.
Williams-Dixon is a home-grown product from powerhouse Pickerington North in Columbus. He’s more of an athlete than a specialized running back and could find himself utilized in special Xavier Johnson-like packages or on special teams.
2 Comments
For you to be the Lead Editor for Gridiron Heroics it ia highly disappointingthat you dont know what youre talking about. Dallan was a backup. A quality backup but not a starter. I understand you’re trying to sound like you’ve got breaking news but this isn’t how you do it Drew.
Hey thanks for the read, Brian. Real quick, who was the starting running back for OSU against Michigan in 2022? And if that person were the starter then, that would make it the past, yes? And in the past means former, yes? So, to say Hayden was a former starter is factually correct.
Again, thanks for the read!