COLUMBUS, Ohio — It would be easy to blame Dallan Hayden’s decision to transfer from Ohio State football on the much-debated decision to protect his redshirt last season.
In reality, it’s more of a footnote. Had Hayden played more last season, Quinshon Judkins still would have transferred in from Ole Miss with his 2,700 career rushing yards. TreVeyon Henderson would still have stuck around to become a four-year starter.
Hayden would still be RB3 at the end of the spring, with real challenges to topping the depth chart next season. So we likely end up at the same place, with the third-year running back reportedly informing the coaching staff he plans to enter the NCAA transfer portal during the upcoming April 16-30 window
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Still, this departure does back up the main argument of those who found the redshirt decision curious. What were the chances Hayden would stick around for five full seasons? If he were not the No. 1 back by this spring, the chances of him moving on seemed pretty high.
Hayden averaged 5.1 yards per carry and scored six touchdowns on his 130 career carries. Some of his biggest games came against Big Ten competition, notably at a bowl-bound Maryland team in 2022.
That game came down to the final minutes, and Hayden’s performance that night helped keep the Buckeyes in national championship contention.
He will play, and play a lot, somewhere else. Of course that is often true of those choosing to leave Ohio State. It rarely comes back to haunt the program, due to the abundance of talent that prompted the move in the first place. Hayden may even appreciate that redshirt season in the future, with three full years left to maximize his career.
Still, this departure does back up the main argument of those who found the redshirt decision curious. What were the chances Hayden would stick around for five full seasons? If he were not the No. 1 back by this spring, the chances of him moving on seemed pretty high.
For 2024, OSU needs to bolster its depth. Ryan Day has talked up former walk-on TC Caffey, both this spring and in the past.
New running backs coach Carlos Locklyn also takes over a pair of freshmen in James Peoples and Sam Williams-Dixon. The urgency to have one of both ready for real carries this fall has increased.
Day and Locklyn can also reach into the portal themselves when it opens a week from Tuesday
The greater impact, though, lingers for 2025 — the more distant future, where Hayden’s redshirt might have paid off the most.
Even with Hayden still on the roster, a portal addition seemed prudent. Now it seems crucial, with Henderson and Judkins both presumably moving on after this year.
Ohio State does not yet have a running back commitment for the 2025 class. Locklyn can show early on his rapid rise through the Power 5 ranks is justified by landing a contributor for next year’s cycyle. His predecessor, Tony Alford, similarly came through a couple of times with his back against the wall.
Running back stood as one of the most secure positions on the roster at the start of the spring. Then it weirdly experienced the most upheaval over these five weeks, with Alford’s abrupt departure and now Hayden’s decision.
It has not thrown the potential for historic explosiveness this fall off track. It does, though, put some pressure on this staff to come up with a plan to replace the one from which Hayden walked away.
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