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Apr. 8—The Ohio State running back room reportedly remains in flux as spring football winds down.
247Sports was first to report Dallan Hayden told the Ohio State football staff he will enter the transfer portal when the spring window opens later this month.
That would make him the fourth scholarship running back to leave the program since the end of last season, joining Miyan Williams (NFL draft), Chip Trayanum (Kentucky) and Evan Pryor (Cincinnati).
Ohio State also lost running backs coach Tony Alford to Michigan in March, a move that was surprising as much for the timing as the designation.
Hayden told reporters last week he understood Alford’s decision and did not indicate he was unhappy with his situation on the team.
“Coach Alford was a big part of why I came to Ohio State, so to see him leave was sad, but you know, he has a family to take care of so and I completely understood,” said Hayden, who was a four-star recruit in the class of 2022 from Memphis, Tenn.
He ran for 553 yards in 10 games as a true freshman, including a pair of 100-yard games, but Alford seemed reluctant to lean on him even when the Buckeyes were very short on healthy running backs late in the season.
Last season, Hayden played in three games but redshirted, a decision that came as a surprise to outsiders but was described as mutual by Haden and Alford.
“Obviously, I wanted be on the field because freshman year I played and then got redshirted, so it was tough,” Hayden said last week. “Everything happens for a reason.”
As last season unfolded, he might have expected his patience to pay off this year, but the picture has changed significantly in the running back room.
Aside from the exits, Ohio State surprisingly retained 2023 starter TreVeyon Henderson, who was expected to enter the NFL Draft, and attracted All-SEC performer Quinshon Judkins from…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/ohio-state-running-back-reportedly-184400707.html
Author : Dayton Daily News, Ohio
Publish date : 2024-04-08 18:44:00
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