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Ohio State beats out Georgia, Alabama for elite 2025 running back

Derek Peterson

By Derek Peterson

Published:

Ohio State has landed a commitment from one of the state’s top recruits in all of the 2025 class.

On Tuesday, Cleveland (Ohio) Villa Angela-St. Joseph running back Bo Jackson gave his verbal pledge to the Buckeyes. He’s a blue-chip recruit in the class, and picked Ryan Day’s bunch over Georgia and Alabama. He visited the Bulldogs in mid-May and took an official to Ohio State this past weekend. He was scheduled to take another official to Alabama this coming weekend, but elected to pull the trigger after the Buckeyes’ presentation.

A 6-foot, 205-pound runner, Jackson is the No. 5 tailback in his class and the No. 5 recruit from The Buckeye State. Overall, he’s ranked as the No. 81 prospect in the country by the industry-generated 247 Composite. He’s viewed as one of the top recruits in the entire Midwest region, an agile runner with a college-ready build.

The graphic made for his commitment by one prominent source in the industry included the phrase “Bo Knows,” harkening back to the only professional athlete in history to be an All-Star in 2 different major North American sports. And the commitment video Jackson himself tweeted includes a caption, “The next great one,” laid over shots of Eddie George, Beanie Wells, and Zeke Elliott.

That’s a high bar to clear.

But Jackson is a productive player with a mean running style. He produced 28 touchdowns with 1,700 yards as a junior. He can make catches out of the backfield, run outside zone, or power his way between the tackles. In Chip Kelly’s offense, he could be a candidate for immediate playing time.

He becomes the 13th known pledge to Ohio State in the 2025 class, joining 5-star quarterback Tavien St. Clair and 5 other top-100 prospects. The Buckeyes’ class ranks No. 2 in the nation with Jackson’s commitment.

You can see his highlight tape below, via Hudl:

Related: Want to bet on the Buckeyes this upcoming season? Ohio State looks like one of the most talented teams in the country and will be a favorite to win the 2024 national title. To get in on the action, get signed up with this BetMGM Ohio bonus. 

Derek Peterson

Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.