CJ Donaldson News, Rumors, Updates - Ohio State Buckeyes

One touch away from greatness: Bo Jackson brings home-run threat Ohio State's offense needed While CJ Donaldson and James Peoples provide consistency, Jackson's 12 yards-per-carry average against Grambling demonstrates why his explos...

SEPTEMBER 8, 2025 • CLEVELAND.COM

Finds end zone in blowout Donaldson logged five rushes for 45 yards and one touchdown during Saturday's 70-0 victory versus Grambling State.

Impact Donaldson found the end zone early and then ceded work to backups in the dominant victory. While a host of other running backs got more work, Donaldson has emerged as the team's most productive back despite continuing to share the load with James Peoples, who managed 49 fewer yards over a similar number of snaps. There won't be a clear picture of this platoon until the Buckeyes begin to face othe Big Ten opponennts, but Donaldson appears to the most potent back for now.

SEPTEMBER 7, 2025 • ROTOWIRE

Finds end zone in blowout Donaldson logged five rushes for 45 yards and one touchdown during Saturday's 70-0 victory versus Grambling State.

SEPTEMBER 7, 2025 • ROTOWIRE

Ohio State football's running back room could still compare to 2024: Buckeye Talk podcast CJ Donaldson had more carries than James Peoples in Ohio State football's season opener vs. Texas. What does that tell us about the running...

SEPTEMBER 4, 2025 • CLEVELAND.COM

Surprises as lead back in key win Donaldson compiled 19 rushes for 67 yards and one touchdown and caught their only target for nine yards during Saturday's 14-7 win over Texas.

Impact Donaldson was expected to make an impact, but he emerged as the top running back in Ohio State's opener. The West Virginia transfer was projected to be part of a timeshare with James Peoples, but instead he displayed the breakout ability he demonstrated as a Mountaineer and took control of the running game. Peoples may get more carries against inferior opponents, but the Buckeyes are clearly favoring Donaldson as the lead back.

AUGUST 31, 2025 • ROTOWIRE

Debuting Buckeyes help lead Ohio State to victory over top-ranked Texas CJ Donaldson and Arvell Reese became instant stars as the Buckeyes roped the Longhorns.

AUGUST 30, 2025 • SCARLETANDGAME.COM

Sayin, defense propel No. 3 Ohio State past top-ranked Texas 14-7

Julian Sayin had a 40-yard touchdown pass to Carnell Tate early in the fourth quarter, Ohio State got a couple of key stops in the red zone and the third-ranked Buckeyes opened the...

AUGUST 30, 2025 • Associated Press

WATCH: Ohio State Buckeyes RB CJ Donaldson Scores First Touchdown Against Texas Watch Ohio State Buckeyes running back CJ Donaldson score the first touchdown against the Texas Longhorns.

AUGUST 30, 2025 • SI.COM

CJ Donaldson punches in the TD, giving Ohio State lead over Texas

AUGUST 30, 2025 • FOX SPORTS

Looks like starter in warmups Donaldson looks like the Buckeyes' starter at running back in their warmups, Dan Hope of ElevenWarriors.com reports.

Impact Donaldson and James Peoples are easily the 2025 Buckeyes' top-two options at running back, and it looks like they will start with the former early. Even if Donaldson starts, that is unlikely to prevent many opportunities for Peoples, considering it looks like the Buckeyes will look to replicate their previous championship-winning system that includes two top backs. As for Donaldson, it looks more like he will be in a similar situation from West Virginia's 2024 team, which got 835 all-purpose yards and 12 touchdowns from the senior.

AUGUST 30, 2025 • ROTOWIRE

James Peoples, CJ Donaldson are the new two-headed monster at RB for Ohio State The Ohio State running back room is brand new in 2025, with Henderson and Judkins leaving. They replace them with another special duo of bac...

AUGUST 21, 2025 • USATODAY.COM

Part of new-look duo Donaldson will be a big piece of the puzzle for OSU's 2025-26 backfield plans, Nugent of NBC.com reports.

Impact Donaldson and James Peoples, a duo many are referring to as "Sonic and Knuckles", will look to replace the loss of Quinshon Judkins and TreyVeon Henderson in the Buckeyes' backfield this fall. Donaldson, a 6-foot-2 226-pound bruiser from West Virginia, will supply the Knuckles side of this Sonic the Hedgehog duo as he integrates within OSU's system. Donaldson 334 carries for 1,532 yards and 22 touchdowns across the last two seasons with the Mountaineers, and he retains high touchdown upside in a new-look OSU offense.

AUGUST 9, 2025 • ROTOWIRE

Sheds nearly 20 pounds Donaldson has dropped nearly 20 pounds in the two months since signing on with the Buckeyes, weighing in most recently at 226 pounds in mid-March, Dan Hope of ElevenWarriors.com re...

Impact While Donaldson was listed at 238 pounds last year, he apparently was tipping the scales north of 240 pounds at some point. He's now down to 226 pounds in an attempt to provide more versatility as a rusher and receiver with the Buckeyes' backfield up for grabs following the departures of NFL prospects TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins, and Donaldson and James Peoples are likely the favorites to claim most of those touches.

APRIL 7, 2025 • ROTOWIRE

Commits to Ohio State Donaldson has committed to Ohio State for the 2025 season, Matt Zenitz of 247Sports.com reports.

Impact Donaldson has only one year of college eligibility remaining, and he'll try to maximize it as part of the Buckeyes. Donaldson was a workhorse for WVU in each of the last two seasons, recording 171 and 163 carries for 798 and 734 yards, respectively, while scoring 11 touchdowns in each campaign.

DECEMBER 23, 2024 • ROTOWIRE

Entering portal Donaldson is entering the transfer portal, Wesley Shoemaker of Rivals.com reports.

Impact Donaldson has only one year of collegiate eligibility remaining, so it makes sense that he uses the transfer portal to maximize his last season. Between 2022 and 2024, he has been an excellent running back for West Virginia each year, a type of consistency that should reward him interest from even the best programs in college football today.

DECEMBER 19, 2024 • ROTOWIRE

Totals 103 yards in loss Donaldson totaled nine carries for 30 yards and reeled in 7 of 8 targets for 73 yards during Saturday's 52-15 defeat to Texas Tech.

Impact Donaldson had a huge receiving game with a season-high seven catches and 73 yards. West Virginia quickly fell behind the Red Raiders and the only success they really could have was through their dynamic pair of running backs. Jahiem White had 14 carries for 124 yards and a touchdown. Donaldson and the Mountaineers will await to see who their bowl opponent will be.

DECEMBER 1, 2024 • ROTOWIRE

Pair of scores in win over UCF Donaldson posted 19 carries for 96 yards and two touchdowns and reeled in 0 of 1 targets for zero yards during Saturday's 31-21 victory against UCF.

Impact Donaldson scored a pair of touchdowns for the third time this season, the other occurrences happening in Week 3 at Pittsburgh and Week 6 at Oklahoma State. Donaldson has been an efficient player during the 2024 season with 10 total touchdowns on 137 total touches. West Virginia will finish the regular season at Texas Tech.

NOVEMBER 24, 2024 • ROTOWIRE

Scores TD against Baylor Donaldson tallied nine carries for 60 yards and one touchdown while reeling in 1 of 2 targets for one yard during Saturday's 49-35 loss to Baylor.

Impact Donaldson logged his eighth touchdown of the season as West Virginia took part in a shootout with the Bears. It's worth noting that QB Garrett Greene made his return from an injury and had significant work on the ground with 22 carries for 129 yards and two touchdowns. Teammate Jahiem White was also busy with 16 carries for 67 yards. Expect them to split opportunities with Donaldson as the season progresses through the last two regular season games. West Virginia will play UCF next.

NOVEMBER 17, 2024 • ROTOWIRE

Season-low four carries Donaldson totaled four carries for 12 yards during Saturday's 31-24 victory versus Cincinnati.

Impact Donaldson entered the game with an undisclosed ailment and it's likely that is still bothering him in some way since he received a season-low number of carries. Teammate Jahiem White rushed for 64 yards on 13 carries. West Virginia will play Baylor next week.

NOVEMBER 10, 2024 • ROTOWIRE

Ready to roll for Saturday Donaldson (undisclosed) is good to go for Saturday's game against Cincinnati, Schuyler Callihan or Sports Illustrated now reports.

Impact Donaldson went into the Mountaineers' bye week with some sort of injury, but it seems the time off helped him recover ahead of Saturday's contest. The third-year tailback is having another productive campaign on the ground, totaling 453 yards and six touchdowns on 100 carries so far.

NOVEMBER 7, 2024 • ROTOWIRE

Iffy headed into bye week Donaldson (undisclosed) is still dealing with an ailment as West Virginia enters its bye week, Ryan Decker of Gold and Blue Nation reports.

Impact The West Virginia coaching staff reportedly needs to "see how (Donaldson) does this week" before providing a further update. Luckily for the Mountaineers, they have a bye this week before returning to action on Nov. 9 against Cincinnati. The starting tailback should have plenty of time to recover before the clash with the Bearcats.

OCTOBER 28, 2024 • ROTOWIRE

Scores on fourth down conversion Donaldson recorded eight carries for 41 yards and one touchdown and gathered in his only target for three yards during Saturday's 31-26 victory versus Arizona.

Impact Donaldson's sixth touchdown of the season came on a 20-yard scamper which was one of three fourth-down scores for West Virginia on the night. Donaldson remains in a timeshare with teammate Jahiem White on a team that prefers to run the ball. West Virginia will play Cincinnati next week.

OCTOBER 27, 2024 • ROTOWIRE

CJ Donaldson Jr. sprints past Arizona's defense on a 20-yard TD to give West Virginia a 24-7 lead

OCTOBER 27, 2024 • FOX SPORTS

Limited impact in loss to KSU Donaldson recorded 12 rushes for 34 yards and gathered in his only target for zero yards during Saturday's 45-18 loss against Kansas State.

Impact Donaldson was propelled into being the primary rusher for the Mountaineers as both QB Garrett Greene and RB Jahiem White exited with injuries. If both of those players are forced to miss additional time, it could mean an expanded role for Donaldson. Even if those players do return, Donaldson has seen significant utilization with double-digit touches in five of seven games this year. West Virginia will play at Arizona this week.

OCTOBER 20, 2024 • ROTOWIRE

Limited to 17 yards in loss Donaldson recorded nine rushes for 17 yards and gathered in 0 of 2 targets for zero yards during Saturday's 28-16 defeat against Iowa State.

Impact Donaldson had one of his worst games against the undefeated Cyclones as he averaged a season-low 1.9 yards per carry. Meanwhile teammate Jahiem White accounted for both of West Virginia's touchdowns and has a score in five straight games. With QB Garrett Greene struggling recently, it's possible West Virginia leans more heavily on Donaldson and White moving forward. West Virginia will play Kansas State next week.

OCTOBER 13, 2024 • ROTOWIRE

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Sayin, defense propel No. 3 Ohio State past top-ranked Texas 14-7

CJ Donaldson punches in the TD, giving Ohio State lead over Texas

CJ Donaldson Jr. sprints past Arizona's defense on a 20-yard TD to give West Virginia a 24-7 lead