Following a disappointing 13-10 loss to the unranked Michigan Wolverines in the regular-season finale, the Ohio State Buckeyes silenced any doubters in their College Football Playoff matchup against the No. 9 Tennessee Volunteers, rolling to a dominant 42-17 win.
Everything was clicking for OSU against Tennessee. Quarterback Will Howard, who many doubted was capable of leading the Buckeyes to a national championship, threw for 311 yards and two touchdowns, while running backs TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins combined for 114 yards rushing and four touchdowns.
Now as Ohio State prepares to face No. 1-ranked Oregon in the Rose Bowl on New Years Day in a rematch of their Oct. 12 meeting — which the Ducks won by a single point after Howard was tackled in field-goal range as time expired — it received some good news on Monday that could loom large for the 2025 season.
Former West Virginia running back CJ Donaldson announced that he had committed to Ohio State.
A former three-star recruit and the No. 6-ranked RB in the transfer portal according to On3’s portal rankings, Donaldson rushed for 734 yards and 11 touchdowns this season for the Mountaineers.
He totaled 2,058 yards and 30 touchdowns in three seasons with West Virginia, including back-to-back years with 700 or more rushing yards and 11 touchdowns.
Landing a player of Donaldson’s caliber is a big win for the Buckeyes, who are losing Henderson, who’s led the team in rushing two of the last four seasons, to graduation.
During his four-year tenure in Columbus, Henderson logged 3,576 yards rushing, 40 rushing touchdowns, 73 catches, 758 yards receiving and five touchdown catches.
If Judkins, who rushed for a team-high 839 yards and 10 touchdowns this year, returns for his senior season next year, Ohio State could have a 1-2 punch in the backfield as formidable as one it had this year.
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