A member of Ohio State’s stacked running back room is reportedly on his way out of Columbus.
Per Matt Zenitz of 247Sports, Dallan Hayden has informed the Buckeyes staff that he intends to enter the transfer portal when the spring window opens.
Hayden ran for 553 yards as a freshman in 2022 and has three years of eligibility remaining.
The son of former NFL RB Aaron Hayden was a four-star recruit coming out of high school but given how top-heavy Ohio State’s depth chart is at his position; Hayden felt it was time to look elsewhere for an opportunity.
Last week the redshirt sophomore said he was “very confident” that he could carve out a role in OSU’s offense despite the return of TreVeyon Henderson and the addition of former Ole Miss star Quinshon Judkins.
“I’m very confident,” Hayden said of his ability to get on the field. “I know what I had to work on and I focused on that the whole offseason. And I feel like I’m doing better with those areas. So I’m very confident.”
Coach Ryan Day also said that Dallan had a “really good” spring this year.
Hayden appeared in three games for Ohio State in 2023 where he carried the ball 19 times for 110 yards and a touchdown.