Bo Jackson had a standout freshman season, but he can find another level in 2026.
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How Ohio State’s Bo Jackson can improve in 2026
Bo Jackson had a standout freshman season, but he can find another level in 2026.
Ohio State’s Lamar “Bo” Jackson had one of the best freshman seasons for a running back in the history of Ohio State football.
One of just six freshmen to surpass the 1,000-yard rushing mark in a single season, the former four-star recruit out of Villa Angela-St. Joseph ran for 1,090 yards as a true freshman, placing his name in elite company.
Those names include J.K. Dobbins (1,403 in 2017), TreVeyon Henderson (1,255 in 2021), Maurice Clarett (1,237 in 2002), Robert Smith (1,126 in 1990), and Mike Weber (1,096 in 2016; although it should be noted that Weber was a redshirt freshman rather than a true frosh).
Jackson finished his first collegiate season ranked 26th in the nation in rushing yards, 37th in yards per game (83.85), 42nd in yards per carry (6.09), and 48th in rush attempts (179). That’s not bad for a guy who wasn’t the starter when the season began — he didn’t play in the opener against Texas and had just nine carries each against Grambling State and Ohio University.
An Ohio State rusher had gained 100 or more yards in a game 533 times in school history entering 2025. Jackson added another six of those last season, including a career-high 117 at Michigan. His totals are more impressive considering he was appeared to be limited a few times by minor injuries.
With all of his accomplishments in 2025, including being named to the All-Big Ten second team by the coaches and third team by the media, there is room to grow for the speedy tailback.
Here are the aspects of Jackson’s game that can vault him into the discussion of the all-time great running backs to come out of Ohio State:
More Touchdowns
Jackson scored just six rushing touchdowns in 2025, which is low for an Ohio State starting running back. While he wasn’t the starter at the start of the season, and it’s not his fault the coaching staff let C.J. Donaldson vulture his rushing touchdowns at the goal line, it still felt like there were a few near-misses that could have added to his total.
Despite not being as experienced or as big as Donaldson, Jackson’s explosiveness seemed to keep him from getting knocked backward more often than the West Virginia transfer, and it was frustrating at times for fans to watch Donaldson get stuffed while Jackson seemed to be in a good rhythm during a drive.
There were several times when Jackson came close to breaking a long one, which would have added to his total. This leads into the second area in which Ryan Day will expect improvement from him in his second season.
Breaking Tackles
Jackson wasn’t necessarily bad at breaking tackles, but as freshmen college running backs are still developing their strength and technique. This should be an area where Jackson can improve by leaps and bounds.
Picking up his feet in traffic can prevent that last defensive player from tripping him up just as he’s starting to break into the open field of the defense’s third level. With a little more upper body strength, he should also be able to run through more arm tackles, even from the beefy interior defensive linemen.
In his second season, expect Jackson to run with more violence at the point of attack. With his speed and balance, he can turn some of those 5-yard runs into explosive plays, and become a threat to take it to the house on any given play the way Henderson was during his OSU career.
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