The Ohio State football program has had to deal with players coming and going into the transfer portal since the 2023 season ended. It’s how business is done now in college sports. The Buckeyes were one of the big beneficiaries of the portal, landing some great players. Unfortunately, they have lost a good player now too.
Running back Dallan Hayden will be entering the portal once it opens next week. He informed the Buckeyes of his decision today. Hayden is a very talented back who ran for over 550 yards in 2022 when injuries plagued the room. The reason he’s leaving has to be traced to a former coach who recently left for Michigan.
Tony Alford’s mismanagement of Dallan Hayden leaves the Ohio State football team losing a good player
Had Tony Alford been able to manage the running back room better, perhaps Hayden would still be a Buckeye. When TreVeyon Henderson and Miyan Williams got hurt at different times last year, Hayden never got to play. They decided to redshirt him instead for no apparent reason. All Hayden has ever done is produce when he has gotten playing time.
Yet for some reason, Alford didn’t trust him. In turn, Ryan Day didn’t seem to want to play him. Hayden can’t be blamed for entering the transfer portal and deciding to go somewhere else. Now that he is leaving, it leaves Ohio State very thin at running back if either Henderson or Quinshon Judkins ends up getting hurt.
It’s unclear where Hayden will end up next season. Tennessee seems like a likely spot considering he is from the state and has been linked to them in the past. Other schools will join the fray as well once he officially enters the portal. It’s a shame that things never worked out for him while he was with the Ohio State football program.
Fans can thank Alford for that.
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