Ohio State gave running backs coach Tony Alford a new title in advance of the 2022 season, promoting him to assistant head coach for offense and run game coordinator in January.

Over seven years while at Ohio State, Alford has coached six ball-carriers who’ve eclipsed 1,000 rushing yards in one season — and the only season he didn’t coach a Buckeye running back to the 1,000-yard mark came in the pandemic-impacted season in 2020.

The 2021 season saw a record-breaking performance from Ohio State’s running backs room, headlined by then-true freshman TreVeyon Henderson breaking the program records for touchdowns scored in a season and single-game freshman rushing total.

Henderson exceeded expectations as an incoming four-star recruit, and figures to take the next step during his second season as the Buckeyes’ bell cow. Ohio State will also lean on third-year Miyan Williams and redshirt freshman Evan Pryor to complement Henderson in addition to welcoming four-star Tennessee native Dallan Hayden.

Next up in the Position Previews series in advance of the Buckeyes’ 2022 season is the running backs room, which looks to elevate and improve on the strides made from young ball-carriers.

Here are the running backs listed on Ohio State's roster:

Freshman Dallan Hayden

Sophomore TreVeyon Henderson

Redshirt freshman Evan Pryor

Sophomore Cayden Saunders

Third-year Miyan Williams

Henderson led all Buckeye running backs with 183 carries last season, more than double Williams’ total who had the second-most with 71.

The Virginia native crossed the 1,000-yard mark against then-No. 7 Michigan State in Week 11 and broke the freshman touchdown record at then-No. 5 Michigan during the next game. Williams finished with 508 rushing yards last season, second-most among Buckeyes.

Hayden enters a room with second-year backs Pryor and Saunders who’ll compete to garner more reps. Pryor had an impressive spring after brief appearances in 2021, including a touchdown score against Akron, and Saunders’ father Cedric was a tight end at Ohio State from 1990-93.

The Buckeyes will be without Marcus Crowley for the first time. They announced Crowley medically retired in May after he played in the last three seasons, dealing with knee injuries along the way.

Henderson is all but a lock to be the first running back Alford and the Buckeyes trot onto the field come the season-opener against Notre Dame.

He started 10 of 13 games during his debut season, making the first of his career against Tulsa. Williams started at Minnesota in Week 1 and against then-No. 12 Oregon in Week 2, playing in 10 games during 2022.

Having seen the departure of Master Teague III after last season, Ohio State will need to find reliable options in its running back depth.

Ohio State ranked No. 47 in rushing offense last season

Despite playing five more games last season than in 2020, Ohio State only rushed for 250 more yards.

The Buckeyes totaled 2,348 rushing yards a season ago compared to 2,098 during the pandemic-impacted season. In 2021, Ohio State averaged 180.6 rushing yards per game, falling under 200 yards for the first time since 2018.

Ohio State searched for a balance on offense last season, reaching at least 200 passing and rushing yards apiece in six games. When the Buckeyes didn’t have their balance, they suffered their two losses, rushing for two of their four-lowest season totals against the Ducks and Wolverines.

Michigan and Wisconsin topped the Big Ten in team rushing totals last season, each averaging more than 200 yards per game. Ohio State still finished in the top-five in the conference, and its 5.5 yards per carry led the Big Ten.

Henderson led the Buckeyes in rushing yards during nine games last season. Third-year quarterback C.J. Stroud leads a pass-heavy offense at Ohio State, which had at least 305 passing yards in all but two games last season.

Williams is still a threat at running back

Even though he made the first start of his career at Minnesota Week 1 last season, the impact Williams has had at Ohio State began during his first season.

The Cincinnati native broke several long runs during the postseason in 2020, racking up 28 yards against No. 14 Northwestern in the Big Ten Championship game and 21 yards against No. 2 Clemson in the College Football Playoff semifinals, including a 15-yard run.

Williams averaged 7.2 yards per carry in his second season last year, totaling over 500 yards and reaching more than 100 rushing yards in two games.

He missed games against Tulsa, Rutgers and Maryland, but Williams returned to play in the remaining seven games and ran for 17 yards in the Rose Bowl.

Williams also has the ability to catch a pass, bringing in nine receptions for 74 yards last season. The 5-foot-9, 225-pound running back offers a counterpart for Henderson and can be versatile enough to run for long and short yardage, making him a valuable option for Ohio State to turn toward.

Hayden brings a decorated resume to the room

Ohio State added one running back in its 2022 class in Hayden, a four-star from Memphis, Tennessee.

While at Christian Brothers High School, Hayden was a two-time finalist for Tennessee Mr. Football. He rushed for 2,002 yards and 33 touchdowns just last fall, which are impressive numbers for a running back.

Last fall wasn’t the first time Hayden ran for over 2,000 yards; he did it as well during his junior season.

Now in Alford’s room at Ohio State, the Buckeyes’ incoming running back recruit will have a wealth of knowledge at his disposal, from his experienced coach to his accomplished teammates.

The 2022 season will likely focus on development for Hayden, much like it has for underclassmen ball-carriers for most of the last several seasons. But Henderson and Pryor proved the first season can be a successful one, and Hayden could follow suit.

Will Henderson see increased carries in 2022?

Henderson carried the football more than 20 times in just three games last season, and all of those contests were close.

He had 28 and 21 carries in nine-point victories over Penn State and Nebraska, respectively. Henderson also ran 23 times against the Golden Hurricane, when Ohio State led 27-20 with just over three minutes left in the fourth quarter.

In games during which he had less than 10 carries, Henderson scored a total of five touchdowns, and he had 10 scores total when he had between 10-19 carries last season. It’s clear Henderson is dangerous on any run when he gets the football in his hands; maybe an issue of carries isn’t too real.

But looking at last season from a grander scale, Henderson averaged 14 carries per game, and he eclipsed that mark in six games. He didn’t rush more often than his season-average in 53 percent of the games last season, but still scored about 42 percent of his touchdowns in those outings.

A second season as the starter will reveal more about Henderson’s abilities as a running back, whether that means more carries or not. At the end of the day, Henderson will find the end zone.

What does Year 2 hold for Pryor?

Pryor turned heads at the spring game in April with over 100 rushing yards and a touchdown.

The No. 2 all-purpose back in the class of 2021 came in understanding a competition awaited with Henderson. Once it became clear Henderson won the majority of the snaps, Pryor put his head down and went to work.

He first made his debut against Akron in Week 4, rushing for a 12-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. Finishing with five carries, he made the most of them and ran for 35 yards.

Pryor played in each of the Buckeyes’ next three games, finishing at four appearances and redshirting. Ohio State saw several ball-carriers depart the room in Crowley and Teague, so the Buckeyes will need to make up for their carries.

The 2022 season holds plenty of intrigue for Pryor. He has a chance to bolster himself as Ohio State’s potential No. 2 running back and move up the depth chart.

Henderson rushes for 20 touchdowns

Since the 2012 season, Ohio State has only had two running backs score at least 20 rushing touchdowns.

That’s a span of 10 years, and of the several 1,000-yard ball-carriers at Ohio State in that time, only a couple have reached 20 scores on the ground.

Henderson could join the likes of J.K. Dobbins and Ezekiel Elliott in 2022.

Elliott rushed for 23 touchdowns in his final season in 2015 and Dobbins had 21 in his last year with the Buckeyes in 2021. An interesting consideration regarding Henderson is that he has at least two more seasons at Ohio State.

Henderson was close to joining two of Ohio State’s best running backs of recent years with 15 rushing touchdowns in his first season and totaled 19 scores — besting Maurice Clarett’s previous program freshman record by one. He very well could’ve reached 20 total touchdowns but was shut out across 17 carries by No. 11 Utah in the Rose Bowl.

If Henderson builds on his record-breaking freshman season and commands more carries, he’ll be even more in the conversation as one of the best running backs in college football.