The theme of each of these positional breakdowns so far has been, for the most part, how much Ohio has lost. For the Bobcat running backs, the same story runs true, however, this position group may be among the most exciting to watch this upcoming season.
Ohio’s departures will be hard to replace, but if any position group is potentially going to improve this season, it’s Ohio’s running backs. Here’s all that you need to know.
Who’s Gone
Ohio will be without last year's two leading rushers this year, as both Sieh Bangurra and O’Shaan Allison entered the transfer portal at season’s end.
Bangurra, a three-year member of the Ohio running back room, was just a few yards shy of 2,000 career yards after two years as the starter. Allison was with Ohio for five seasons, where he put together a career of 1,671 rushing yards that was riddled by injury and missed playing time.
Who’s Back
Ohio will return two players who got a handful of reps in 2023: Rickey Hunt Jr. and Nolan McCormick.
Hunt has already cemented himself as a prominent figure in the Ohio sports community after scoring five total touchdowns in his first career start against Georgia Southern in the Myrtle Beach Bowl. Hunt is expected to be the starter at running back to start the season as a sophomore.
McCormick hasn’t quite gotten the community recognition that Hunt has but also received reps in the bowl game with 40 total rushing yards. McCormick will enter the 2024 season as a sophomore.
Who’s New
One of Ohio’s most compelling additions via the transfer portal is running back Anthony Tyus III from Northwestern. Tyus appeared in 12 of Northwestern's games last year, totaling 238 rushing yards and one touchdown. Tyus, a graduate student, is expected to be the primary backup to Hunt on offense.
The only other addition to the running backs room was Duncan Brune, a freshman out of Cologne, Germany.
