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- Thread starter HotMic
- Start date
ScriptOhio
Everybody is somebody else's weirdo.
Dallan Hayden’s role in Ohio State’s offense – or lack thereof – has been a frequent topic of discussion since his freshman year.
Initially expected to redshirt as a freshman, Hayden ended up seeing significant playing time in 2022 as TreVeyon Henderson and Miyan Williams battled injuries. He had back-to-back 100-yard games against Indiana and Maryland that November, running for 146 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Buckeyes to a 43-30 win over the Terrapins, yet saw just two carries for seven yards in their loss to Michigan the following week.
With Henderson, Williams and Chip Trayanum all back in the running back room last season, Ohio State decided to redshirt Hayden. Ryan Day publicly reconsidered that plan after Hayden ran for 76 yards and a touchdown on just 11 carries against Purdue when Henderson, Trayanum and
Williams were all sidelined by injuries, but the Buckeyes ended up sticking with the original plan as Hayden appeared in just two more games for the rest of the year.
That redshirt was supposed to set Hayden up to play a bigger role – potentially even as a starter – at running back for Ohio State this season. Then Henderson chose to stay at Ohio State for his senior season and the Buckeyes added former Ole Miss star Quinshon Judkins via the transfer portal.
Now, Hayden’s path to consistent playing time is unclear once again. With Henderson and Judkins set to lead the running back rotation, Hayden projects to be no higher than third on the running back depth chart. But Hayden still expects to see increased playing time for the Buckeyes this season.
“I'm very confident,” Hayden said when asked about his confidence that he would earn a bigger role this year. “I know what I had to work on and I focused on that the whole offseason. And I feel like I'm doing better with those areas. So I'm very confident.”
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Even though he wanted to play more last season, Hayden says he has no hard feelings about being redshirted. He said the decision for him to redshirt was a “mutual agreement” between him and Ohio State’s coaches, allowing him to preserve his three remaining years of collegiate eligibility.
“I mean, I understood. It was a mutual agreement, for sure,” Hayden said. “Obviously, I wanted be on the field, because freshman year I played and then got redshirted. So it was tough. But everything happens for a reason.”
“I KNOW WHAT I HAD TO WORK ON AND I FOCUSED ON THAT THE WHOLE OFFSEASON. AND I FEEL LIKE I'M DOING BETTER WITH THOSE AREAS. SO I'M VERY CONFIDENT.”– DALLAN HAYDEN ON WHY HE EXPECTS TO EARN MORE PLAYING TIME THIS SEASON
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Had a a feeling this was coming with OSU looking in the portal for another RB. Sucks to see him go but understandable - hopefully it’s to Tennessee and not up north.
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Best of luck to him. He deserves to be RB1 somewhere. And OSU can absorb the hit, and still bring in another RB if need be. But a true frosh like Peoples shouldn't have a problem filling in if needed.
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1926Buckeyes
Head Coach
Sad to see him leave, but hard to blame him. Not many guys want to wait till year 4 to start or play significantly. He'll be good wherever he goes.
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I think this makes the recruiting of UMass Lynch-Adams more likely to happen. Will be a battle for third if so.
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Agreed, can't fault him at all. I can think of a few dozen schools he can start for from Day 1
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Eh. The portal is why he's not RB2 right now......in line to be RB1 if oft injured Treveyon gets injured.
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Really surprising he didn’t see the field more. He always seemed to move the ball well when he was in. Never understood the “he can’t pass block” comments.
Sad to see him go, but figured this was coming.
Sad to see him go, but figured this was coming.
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ShowMeBuck
You know what? Chicken butt.
I’m sure he had deficiencies but still this feels like a mismanaged recruit IMO
He should have played more
He should have played more
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27 carries, 146 yards, 3 TDs vs Maryland
2 carries, 7 yards one week later vs Michigan
Not that it mattered.......since they were fucking cheating. But that's mind numbing.
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I mean, pass blocking is crucial for a RB. If you can’t pass block, the defense will know that it’s a run play when he’s in OR just attack him on passing downs. It’s exactly like having a tight end who can’t block.
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The comment was pointing at the statement that it was said he couldn’t pass block. I saw him make some good blocks and also saw other RBs miss blocks.
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It isn’t imaginary. He is consistently the worst blocker of the RB’s who played the last two years.
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