Ohio State is gearing up for a massive College Football Playoff quarterfinal against Oregon. However, roster construction never sleeps in the world of college football.

On Monday, the Buckeyes landed a very productive player out of the transfer portal for the 2025 season. That player is former West Virginia running back CJ Donaldson who has produced over 500 yards rushing all 3 seasons in college football.

This past season, Donaldson finished 2nd among West Virginia’s running backs with 734 yards and led the team with 11 rushing touchdowns. He has over 2,000 rushing yards in his career to go with 30 touchdowns.

The addition is not a surprising one for Ohio State. Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson have split the time in the backfield this season with over 800 rushing yards for each player, but both backs have the option to enter the 2025 NFL Draft after the season.

Beyond those two proven commodities, the next man up in the rotation has been true freshman James Peoples. While his future in Columbus certainly looks bright, Donaldson brings a proven contributor and necessary depth at the position right away.

Regardless of who starts for Ohio State, it’s also likely that the Buckeyes will continue utilizing the 2-back system after the results in 2024 and the ability to keep Judkins and Henderson healthy entering the Playoff.

Donaldson was originally a 3-star tight end coming out of high school. The 6-foot-2 and 238-pound RB received a 3-star transfer rating from 247 Sports.