Scarlet Sunrise: Ohio State running back TreVeyon Henderson still undecided about next steps
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Ohio State running back TreVeyon Henderson still undecided about next steps
A batch of third-year Ohio State players who are eligible for the 2024 NFL Draft made it clear Tuesday that they will play in the Cotton Bowl.
Star running back TreVeyon Henderson, however, is one of the other Buckeyes players from the 2021 recruiting class who has yet to reveal his plans — for the bowl and for the future beyond Dec. 29.
Henderson reminded everyone of that Wednesday, as speculation about his potential return or departure runs rampant following his impressive but slightly abbreviated 2023 regular season.
“I have never announced nor made a decision on what my next steps would be,” Henderson posted to X, formerly known as Twitter. “Excited to see where God leads my next steps though!”
Henderson missed three games this year after taking what he called a “cheap shot” at Notre Dame in Week 4. His return was can’t-miss television.
He piled up 200-plus yards from scrimmage in both Week 9 at Wisconsin and Week 10 at Rutgers and was on track to put up similar numbers against Michigan State in Week 11 before he was subbed out amid a blowout win. The following week, Henderson’s 75-yard breakaway touchdown was the start of a second-half blitz that quickly put away Minnesota in the Buckeyes’ home finale.
Henderson scored a touchdown in his final eight games of the regular season. He’s averaging 6.2 yards per carry with 854 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns to his name, not to mention his 19 receptions for 229 yards in the nine games he’s played.
It’s been a bounce-back season for the Hopewell, Virginia, native, who dealt with a fracture to a sesamoid bone in his foot last season and, ultimately, had to miss four of the final five games, including Ohio State’s Peach Bowl College Football Playoff semifinal game against Georgia.
Henderson has registered a breakaway percentage of 43.9%, according to Pro Football Focus, good for second in the Big Ten among running backs with at least 50 attempts this season. PFF defines breakaway percentage as a player’s percentage of “rushing yardage on designed attempts more than 15 yards.” For reference, Henderson had a breakaway percentage of just 28.3% in 2022.
If he returned to the Buckeyes, he would be a big boost for the Ohio State offense in 2024, especially for whoever is playing quarterback.
‘We all want to win:’ Third-year Buckeyes mulling potential return for another year
Just as a group of third-year and draft-eligible Ohio State players have already announced their plans to play in the Cotton Bowl, they could very well run things back for the 2024 season, too.
“It’s a group decision,” third-year defensive back Jordan Hancock said. “We all want to win. So we’re all talking to everybody. Everyone’s situation’s different, but we’re all talking to each other.”
After all, the 2021 Ohio State recruiting class — No. 2 nationally at the time, according to the On3 Industry Team Recruiting Rankings — still hasn’t beaten Michigan or reached a Big Ten Championship. Those team goals speak loudly to a crew that oozes with NFL talent but also a burning desire to bolster its Ohio State legacy.
For the full story, go here.
Transfer tracker: Breaking down Buckeyes moves, philosophy in transfer portal
Having trouble keeping track of all of Ohio State’s transfer portal departures?
Lettermen Row has you covered.
The Buckeyes have already seen 14 of their scholarship players hit the portal — including starting quarterback Kyle McCord, starting wide receiver Julian Fleming and key running back Chip Trayanum — and there could be more on the way soon.
Follow along here to stay up to date.
10 stats to know about Buckeyes hoops after 10 games
Ohio State is 10 games into the 2023-24 season. The Buckeyes are 8-2, including 1-1 in Big Ten play.
That start featured a seven-game win streak and an Emerald Coast Classic title, but the Buckeyes split games against ranked opponents and split their first two Big Ten outings.
Ohio State resumes play Saturday against UCLA in the CBS Sports Classic.
First, however, Lettermen Row is taking a look at 10 stats to know through 10 games of the Buckeyes’ young season.
Check it out here.
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