Bigger and healthy, Isaiah West eager to be major piece of RB puzzle for Ohio State

From the first day of training camp, something seemed different about running back Isaiah West this year.

It was notable that West, not Bo Jackson, was with the starters when Ohio State opened camp. West looked quick, strong and decisive when carrying the ball, with the caveat that the Buckeyes weren’t yet in pads.

West remains a longshot to be the starter when the season opens. Coach Ryan Day went out of his way to praise Jackson on Saturday, saying that he had stood out among the running backs after running for 1,090 yards as a freshman.

But in this era of college football, it’s rare for one running back to carry almost the entire load. Many programs strive to do what OSU did in 2024 when TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins shared duties, allowing both to stay fresh during OSU’s long road to the national title.

West isn’t the only option to complement Jackson. Florida transfer Ja’Kobi Jackson, redshirt freshman Turbo Rogers and dynamic freshman Legend Bey can be in the mix. But West looks poised to play a prominent role.

He added 12 pounds of muscle and now weighs 220 pounds on his 5-foot-10 frame.

“Honestly, it’s weird,” he said. “You would think that putting on some weight, you would get a little slower. I feel more explosive. I feel much stronger, much faster.”

West injured his knee during his senior season at St. Joseph’s Prep in Philadelphia, the same school that produced former Buckeyes Marvin Harrison Jr. and Kyle McCord.

He wasn’t fully cleared for practice last year until the week before the season opener against Texas. In hindsight, he realizes that he wasn’t quite himself last season.