Scouting Report: What 4-Star Ohio State RB Commit James Peoples Brings to Buckeyes

The Ohio State Buckeyes often make quite the mark in the state of Texas. 

It doesn't take long for even a casual fan to rattle off names of key Texan OSU stars just in the last few years, whether looking at Jaxson Smith-Njigba, Garret Wilson, Baron Browning, Jeff Okudah or even back to J.T. Barrett.

At running back, J.K. Dobbins is probably the first name OSU faithful would register from the pipeline, though now the current NFL star could have some company. On Sunday, Tony Alford landed another top target in San Antonio (Texas) Veterans Memorial star James Peoples. 

Peoples picked the Buckeyes over finalists Texas, Oklahoma, Alabama, TCU, and Oregon in the end. He was in Columbus for a multi-day trip over the weekend, clearly sealing the deal in a busy recruitment where Peoples collected nearly 30 scholarship offers. 

As a prospect, most of the recruiting industry is high on the four-star back, ranking as high as No. 5 at the position (247Sports) and as low as just No. 11 (On3), though ESPN hasn't tabbed a running back ranking on the newest Buckeye just yet. 

Buckeyes Now takes a closer look at what the newest verbal commitment brings to the table.

Strengths

Peoples, as productive as it gets as a junior in 2022 with 2,044 rushing yards to his name and another 294 as a pass-catcher to combine for 34 touchdowns from scrimmage, is a prep workhorse type. The reigning Co-District MVP in the area lists himself at 5-foot-11, 196 pounds, working with the build that can carry a traditional running back load on a rock-solid frame. 

There's plenty of modernity to Peoples' game, however. His prep program runs a relatively wide open, RPO or zone read system, allowing for the rising senior to scan the defense and react from depth much like he will be asked to do once at OSU for good. He presses the hole well and can break into the second level near top speed, putting pressure on back-seven defenders to abandon the thought of staying square to the line of scrimmage. This lets Peoples make subtle shifts of his weight to break contain on routine. 

Peoples runs with a bit of an upright style but displays subtle quickness both in tight spaces and out in the open. While possessing the top-end speed to run away from secondary players, validated with explosive numbers in the long jump and hurdling events on the track, his contact balance is worthy of praise.