Ohio State RB C.J. Donaldson sheds black stripe, lands on Doak Walker Award watch list

CJ Donaldson transferred to Ohio State to compete at the highest level and become a star tailback. He took two major steps toward doing that on Wednesday.

CJ Donaldson (Mick Walker/Lettermen Row)

COLUMBUS — CJ Donaldson transferred to Ohio State to compete at the highest level and become a star tailback. He took two major steps toward doing that on Wednesday.

First, he was named to the preseason watch list for the Doak Walker Award, which is given annually to the country’s top tailback. That list came out Wednesday, and Donaldson is on it.

Second, he lost his black stripe after Buckeyes practice, a sign that he’s becoming a key piece of this Ohio State offense just a week into training camp in August.

Donaldson was a weapon in the West Virginia backfield for multiple seasons before transferring to Ohio State. But once he got to Columbus and in the building with the Buckeyes, he had one big goal: to cut weight.

After arriving at Ohio State at around 245 pounds, Donaldson cut down to nearly 225 pounds in the spring. He’s currently listed on the Buckeyes official roster at 232 pounds, still down from his time in Morgantown.

He could feel that dropped weight on the field during spring practice.

“That 240, it was just different,” he said in the spring. “I can feel the difference out here when I’m running at 225. I feel like I’m running like the flash right now. My speed, I definitely feel quicker in just getting off the ball and continuing to work on my short-area burst.”

Donaldson went from a running back trying to cut weight to a preseason watch list inclusion for the Doak Walker Award. On the same day, he lost his black stripe to officially become a member of the Ohio State football program.

He’s expected to be a huge piece for this Buckeyes running game as it hopes to replace two second-round NFL Draft picks in the backfield. Donaldson and James Peoples have huge shoes to fill.

Category: General Sports