Succession: Ohio State's future plan for running back

Tony Alford doesn't need for his room to be talked about. He wants the performance of Ohio State's running backs to speak for itself.

"I think we built a strong room," the Ohio State running backs coach said, bringing back TreVeyon Henderson, Miyan Williams and Evan Pryor from the 2021 team. "I know that doesn't get talked about as much... we don't get talked about a lot, and that's fine. We don't need to be. We know what we have and what we have (whether) people talk about it or not.

"I think we've developed a really good room and in my personal opinion — I'm biased, I'm going to throw that out there now — I think that from top to bottom, our room's as strong as anybody's in the country."

So will that room look like down the road?

After walking through the succession plan for the quarterback position, here's a look at what the future could bring at running back.

1. TreVeyon Henderson

2. Miyan Williams

3. Evan Pryor

4. Dallan Hayden

The depth chart of Alford's running back room seems to be set heading into 2022.

Henderson is back after his record-breaking freshman season, and will likely be the first back to touch the ball when the season starts against Notre Dame Sept. 3.

But after Henderson, the order, while set, has seemingly narrowed since the spring game, especially with how different the styles of running back the Buckeyes have at their disposal.

As a smaller and elusive back who made a difference in the passing game in the Buckeyes' final scrimmage of the spring, Pryor shows potential to be that change-of-pace back, using acceleration, his smaller frame and his "wiggle" to bust into the second level of an opposing defense.

Williams has shown his ability to get to that second level too, but with his bowling-ball frame and his tendency to barrel through linemen with his physicality.

Williams and Pryor could interchange that No. 2 spot depending on what Ohio State needs in a given game, with Dallan Hayden waiting in the wings as a 5-foot-11, 195-pound bruiser out of Memphis.