Destined to land at Ohio State, James Peoples is poised to emerge as next star RB for Buckeyes

Ohio State running back James Peoples was always fast, even as a toddler dodging his parents as he bolted downhill on the bumpy and treacherous cobblestone roads of Mackenbach, Germany. 

"He was born early, he walked early and he was running," says his mom, Nakisha Peoples. "When I say running, he was running. He got out of the house and a neighbor found him down the street when he was only a year old. … When he goes, he goes quick."

Peoples was born in Germany, where his father was stationed at Ramstein Air Base as an Airman for the Air Force. As a kid, he was something of a daredevil, sprinting down the roads of the small German town and leaping off his bunk bed, impersonating wrestlers and MMA stars. Nakisha wrapped a leash around his waist to keep him under control. "He would take off. We couldn't catch him," she said.

Peoples hasn't quite yet introduced himself to the casual college football fan, but he will Saturday when the No. 3 Buckeyes host No. 1 Texas in the biggest season opener in a decade. The sophomore is something of an unknown commodity, particularly outside the walls of Ohio Stadium, despite touching the ball 49 times for 197 yards last season. There was a time when Ohio State running backs were top of mind in the college football zeitgeist, but not this offseason. A quarterback battle won by Julian Sayin and the fervor surrounding Heisman Trophy candidate Jeremiah Smith have dominated the headlines.

Never mind that Ohio State is replacing the program's first 1,000-yard rushing duo -- TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins -- since 1975. For whatever reason, the next men up in the Buckeyes' backfield have quietly worked in the background for the defending national champions as other position battles attract eyes.

Peoples and C.J. Donaldson, a three-year star at West Virginia, figure to share carries this season, much like the duo they're replacing. Ohio State's new wrecking crew calls themselves "Sonic & Knuckles," an inspiration from the video game characters of the same name: one a speedy hedgehog, the other a quick, fist-pounding brute.

"I gotta do the dirty work," Donaldson told reporters in August. "I'm definitely cool with doing the dirty work. [Peoples] is more of a personality guy. Bad cop, good cop."

Peoples is expected to mostly serve as a first- and second-down running back, with the bulkier Donaldson sharing carries and stepping in on third-down situations and in the red zone, sources at Ohio State told CBS Sports. True freshman Bo Jackson is expected to play, too, after wowing coaches in preseason camp. 

Peoples, a four-star prospect in the class of 2024, is the first major prospect to emerge out of Veterans Memorial in San Antonio, Texas, a Class 5A school that opened in 2016. He received his first college offer in June 2022 from TCU after attending a mega camp in the summer before his junior season. Soon after, every major college in Texas offered scholarships, including the Longhorns.

"When he heard this stuff about these boys in Dallas or in Houston, J would go up there and whoop all of them in camps all around Texas. He didn't care where it was," James Peoples II said. "He would go out there and win every single camp. Jay is not scared of Texas. He's ready. He's built for this. He's battle-tested."

The family quietly hoped Ohio State would come calling, but it took time. The Peoples is an Ohio family. Father James Peoples II grew up in Cleveland Heights and Nakisha grew up in Youngstown. They met at Thiel College, where they were both standout athletes. James played football and Nakisha was a superstar track athlete. She was inducted into the Thiel College Athletic Hall of Fame.

When their son attended a camp at Ohio State as a rising junior, the coaching staff was unfamiliar with the San Antonio product, but he immediately stood out in workouts. Then-running backs coach Tony Alford pulled him aside after a jaw-dropping performance.

"He told him, 'I don't know you. I need to take your name to Ryan Day because I can't miss you,'" James Peoples II said. "I'd love to offer you today, but I can't. This is the first time I've heard your name."

Ohio State followed up on its word, keeping tabs on Peoples throughout his junior season before offering him in October. The recruiting process continued, and when he whittled his list of schools to three, Texas was among the finalists. He visited Austin often, and Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian once traveled in a helicopter to Veterans Memorial to visit Peoples.

"He likes the flash, but to him that was a turn off," Nakisha said. "It made him more nervous."

Peoples always seemed destined to go to Ohio State. The son, growing up on an Air Force base populated mostly by SEC fans, mirrored his parents' fandom for the Buckeyes. When Ohio State won the national title in 2014, the son had so much pride "it was unmatched," his father said.

"I couldn't even tell you how I felt (when he committed), but I wanted it to be his decision," James Peoples II said. "Ohio State was really where me and his mom wanted him to go."

How he performs at Ohio State remains to be seen. His high school coach compared him to former NFL MVP Adrian Peterson, whom he coached against in the early 2000s in east Texas.

"Enough speed to run around you but enough strength and power to run through you," Bobby Irvin said.

Ohio State's carousel of running backs in recent years is by design. Players can easily be worn down at the position, where big hits happen on every play as a runner or blocker. The Buckeyes have practically eliminated the idea of a feature running back carrying the ball 25-plus times per game. The staff tracks every hit and every carry, and pulls players based on workload rather than production.

Peoples figures to be a featured player rather than the star of the show, which running backs coach Carlos Locklyn has communicated to the group. Either way, he'll have every opportunity to cement his name as a star.

"The one thing [Locklyn] really stresses is that we play as one in the running back room," Peoples told reporters in August. "You have to put yourself aside, you have to trust he's a great coach. He's done this for a long time, he's been in rooms with two great running backs."