Podcast Summary: The Bill and Doug Show – Ohio State Running Back Grades: How Much Did Freshman Bo Jackson Save the Buckeyes This Season?

Podcast: The Bill and Doug Show: Ohio State Football Talk
Host: Blue Wire
Episode Date: December 19, 2025
Hosts: Doug Maurice (Douglas Maurice) & Bill Landis
Main Theme: Evaluating Ohio State’s running back room in 2025, with a deep dive on freshman Bo Jackson’s impact, the evolving pecking order, and how the position was rebuilt after a failed preseason plan.

Episode Overview

Doug Maurice and Bill Landis critically analyze the Ohio State running back position—who stepped up, who fell short, and how unexpected freshmen contributions, especially from Bo Jackson, ultimately saved a group that began the year in flux. The conversation explores individual player performances, role assignments, short-term playoff prospects, and long-term recruiting strategy, with a special emphasis on lessons learned from portal misses and high school recruiting hits.

Key Segments & Topics

1. Position Room Overview & Roles

Timestamp: 01:36 – 05:48

• Doug and Bill outline the RB room’s current roles:

  • Bo Jackson is the clear RB1, occasionally spelled by Isaiah West on standard downs.
  • CJ Donaldson serves primarily as a third down/short yardage/pass protection specialist.
  • James Peoples had a few exciting moments early but is out of the rotation heading into the postseason.
  • Quote:

    "Bo Jackson is RB1 by himself. He is occasionally spelled on standard downs by Isaiah West and CJ Donaldson is the third down back … because he's their best pass protector."
    — Bill Landis [02:51]

• Discussion about why four backs is not sustainable—clear division of labor emerged as the season went on.

2. Bo Jackson’s Emergence and Impact

Timestamp: 06:43 – 14:12

• Statistical accolades:

  • Fifth true freshman in OSU history with a 1000-yard season—joins Robert Smith, Maurice Clarett, J.K. Dobbins, and TreVeyon Henderson.
  • Did not become primary back until midseason; rapid ascent.
  • Over 4 yards after contact per carry; 2nd among true freshmen nationally, 1st among Power Four.
  • Five 100-yard games in the final seven.
  • Quotes:

    "He's the number two true freshman rusher in the country, number one in power four."
    — Bill Landis [08:28]
    “We kind of settled on this at a point in the middle of the season of—they know who the number one running back is. They just didn't want to give a true freshman 20 carries a game in October … but I think he's ready to be a 20-carry a game back in the playoff.”
    — Doug Maurice [11:00]

• Strengths & developmental notes:

  • Surprising receiving skills due to having played receiver in high school.
  • Still developing ability to make defenders miss and break longer TDs.
  • Could see more extensive use as a receiver in the postseason:
    "Can you put him in the slot, get him matched up against a linebacker and have him run a slant and see what that looks like? … He's got strong hands."
    — Bill Landis [13:00]

3. How the Season Did NOT Go as Planned

Timestamp: 15:31 – 18:44

• Original Plan Flopped:

  • RBs were expected to be CJ Donaldson and James Peoples as a 1-2 punch.
  • Neither worked out as intended:

    “They went 0 for 2 on their running back plan. Is it fair to call that 0 for 2?” —Doug Maurice
    “Definitely, yeah.” —Bill Landis [16:13]

• Credit & Blame:

  • Credit to Bo Jackson, Isaiah West, and the coaching/development staff for stepping up.
  • Honest criticism of Ryan Day and Carlos Laughlin for portal evaluation misses.

  • “So they got saved here, bro. Right? They got saved by the young guys.”
    — Doug Maurice [17:24]

4. Player-by-Player Deep Dive

A. CJ Donaldson
Timestamp: 18:53 – 24:00

• Portal Miss:
  • Not the featured back that was hoped—a drop in both usage and effectiveness compared to his West Virginia days.
  • Weight loss aimed to change his style, but “he's still trying to run through people, and it's just not nearly as effective.”
  • Only consistent value has been as a pass protector and blocker in short yardage.
  • Memorable moment:

    “The difference between a program like Ohio State and maybe a good but not great program is … if you go out on a limb for a guy and it doesn't work, you probably don't have a Plan B that is going to look like a Plan A. And Austin Seraveld at left tackle and Bo Jackson as RB1 are Plan Bs that absolutely have played like Plan As.”
    — Doug Maurice [22:16]

B. Isaiah West
Timestamp: 25:38 – 30:46

• Valued RB2/Complement:

  • Physical, north-south runner; not flashy but consistent.
  • Came on in second half of the season, brought “velocity” and toughness.
  • “He just runs with like a... like, he understands this about himself. Like, he's not going to shake three guys out of their shoes and run for 70 yards; he's going to run as hard as he can for three, and maybe turn that three into seven.”
    — Bill Landis [26:21]
  • Could be a reliable, long-term RB2 and important team leader/locker room presence.

    “He also is a little bit of your heartbeat. And I, he feels like that kind of guy. Kind of like you, Philly, Billy.”
    — Doug Maurice [30:46]

• Both hosts agree West could be part of a solid RB tandem for years.

5. Recruiting Pipeline & The Future

Timestamp: 31:33 – 35:35

• Portal vs. High School Recruiting:

  • OSU pushing to rely more on high school recruits after portal misses.
  • New recruits (Favor Aki, Legend Bay) will supplement the young RB core.
  • Turbo Rogers remains a wild card due to injuries.

• Credit for Development:

  • Carlos Laughlin (RB coach) praised for identifying and developing two true freshmen to play meaningful snaps.

    “Carlos Lachlan got two of them ready and identified two guys … to be prepared to play college football at the highest level as true freshmen.”
    — Doug Maurice [35:10]

6. Grading the Running Back Room

Timestamp: 35:36 – 37:51

• Subscriber poll:

  • Doug and Bill guess grades for the room:

    • Subscriber average: 74/100
    • Doug: 80/100 (“I think they feel pretty good about it. So I'm gonna give 'em an 80.” [36:47])
    • Bill: 78/100—emphasis on Bo’s individual excellence, notes ongoing need for more explosiveness and missed-tackle creation.

  • “They're probably not quite as dynamic as they should be ... but it's still been pretty good ... because of Bo Jackson's emergence, I think you can feel pretty good about the position group going into the playoff.”
    — Bill Landis [37:51]

Notable Quotes

• On the Bo Jackson saga:

  “Congrats to Bo Jackson. My goodness, what a thing.”
  — Doug Maurice [18:44]

• On adaptation and resilience:

  “You can miss and recover. At other schools, if you go out on a limb for a guy and it doesn't work, you probably don't have a Plan B that is going to look like a Plan A ... but that's what being Ohio State is all about.”
  — Doug Maurice [22:16]

• On the value of reliable backups:

  “At most good programs now, [RB2] has a real role. So he's not your best guy, but he matters, he plays, he's good. But he also is a little bit of your heartbeat.”
  — Doug Maurice [30:25]

Episode Highlights / Memorable Moments

• Reframing the season around "saves":
  The candid admission that OSU “got saved” by unexpected freshmen is both honest and reflective of the uniquely deep talent of blue-blood programs.

• Portal skepticism:
  Repeated reminders that transfer portal solutions are not always magical, even for elite programs.

• Humor on bulking up Donaldson:

  “Operation Playoff Fullback. A big sign in the Woody: ‘Feed CJ’... not like ‘Feed Zeke’ where it’s about carries—literally feed CJ Every. Time you see him, give him a snack.”
  — Doug Maurice & Bill Landis riff [22:04–22:18]

Closing Thoughts

• The hosts are upbeat about the running back room’s future, due largely to Bo Jackson’s star turn and Isaiah West’s reliability.
• They urge listeners not to judge transfer and high school recruiting potential too quickly, and credit the staff for pivoting effectively.
• The position group is graded as “functional, if not elite”—good enough for playoff contention, with upside to get better as the young backs mature.