Buckeyes Meet With Media Following Spring Practice #11
4/10/2026 11:25:00 AM | Football
On trying to decide whether or not he would come back in the offseason
It wasn't really a hard decision, you know this is where I want to be. So, I’m here where I want to be.
On how he feels like he is stepping up going into year two
Just trying to become more of a leader for the running back room and just being more vocal.
On explaining his mental reps
Right now I’m doing a lot of running on the side. I go to the weight room and lift and then you know, come outside and watch team practices.
On talking about how he’s seen Isaiah transform
He’s been getting better day by day. You can see, you can see his growth, he’s very explosive, very athletic. Now he’s just got to grow, just grow as a running back and he’s going to be really good.
On what have he brings to the Buckeyes
I have brought just a positive energy, and just want to show my leadership, while also showing everyone the right way to do things.
On the difference of Ohio state from his past school
Ohio State really has discipline, they are really tied tight, and everything has structure.
On having goals for himself this season
Finishing and staying strong, trying to lead and learn the system while getting better day by day.
What made him want to be at Ohio State
I liked coach Locks vibe and his energy as a coach, we sat down, and we watched film and how he would just communicate with me. Also knowing he’s a guy from close to my area, just made me feel like this was the best place, and talking to Coach Day and discussing football and how he just talks football, it was very exciting, and it felt like it was home.
On how he’s transformed in the offseason
I’ve put on about eleven pounds of lean mass this winter offseason and I got my body fat down to about 12 percent so that was a big part.
On talking about the weight he’s playing with despite not being able to be on the field
Sprinting with 220 pounds is a lot different from sprinting with 210 pounds. But I think I’m doing pretty good. I’m still moving out there.
On the biggest difference from high school to college
Yeah, um not that I was new necessarily new to pass protection. I did a little bit in high school, but coming to college, though, it's definitely there's a lot more nuances to it.
On Ja’kobi coming in this year
Coach Day is hard on everyone and one thing that he talked about was Isaiah and Bo improving on the second and third level. When you watched Ja’Kobi film from Florida you saw a guy who was elite in tight areas and quick feet. He has made guy miss, good hands, and he understands passing. So, I was looking for a guy that has on year and was older that fit with what we are doing here. We are talking about a great kid, so he fit the room, so from what I saw was a guy that can create his own and give you some explosive runs.
On Bo Jackson and Isaiah West being star players
You have to get in their ear and going at them, seeing how they respond putting them in a stressful situation and how they answer me in the classroom and are they speaking back to me? I get out here and you can hear them talking to themselves what they want and what they got, and then everything else is you know God-Given.
On who he’s picking to be punt returner
We will see. The good thing about here is you’ve got a lot of good options. There’s a lot of good players that have done it in games here.
On how aggressive should to special teams be
Just like in all aspects of the game, you wanna play to win the game. Sometimes there’s a time and space to say we just need the ball back and there’s and time and place to say we’re gonna come after this one, so you just gotta be smart about the situation and mainly you just have to practice all of those scenarios and put the right people in the right place to do it. That’s our job as coaches to figure out what guys can do to try to maximize their skillset.
On if being a top kick blocking team is schematic or based on personnel
It’s a player driven sport. The players are obviously more important than the coaches. There’s a lot more guys that can draw a block look on a piece of paper than kids who can go out and do it. I think that’s the biggest part is identifying who can do it and putting them in the position to do it.
On recent rule change on alignment
I don’t like it, but I don’t have a say in it. It’s just like anything else in life, you gotta deal with it.
