James Peoples (American football)
| Ohio State Buckeyes – No. 20 | |
|---|---|
| Position | Running back |
| Class | Sophomore |
| Personal information | |
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) |
| Weight | 203 lb (92 kg) |
| Career history | |
| College |
|
| High school | Veterans Memorial (San Antonio, Texas) |
| Career highlights and awards | |
James Peoples is an American football running back for the Ohio State Buckeyes.
Early life and high school
[edit]Peoples attended Veterans Memorial High School. As a sophomore, he notched 14 touchdowns and 1,263 all-purpose yards.[1] During his junior season, Peoples rushed for 1,904 yards and 28 touchdowns.[2] Coming out of high school, he was rated as a four-star recruit, the 5th best running back, and the 69th overall player in the class of 2024, and committed to play college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes over offers from schools such as Alabama, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, and USC.[2]
College career
[edit]In the 2024 season opener, Peoples notched his first career touchdown in a win over Akron Zips.[3] He played just 94 snaps as a freshman, rushing for 197 yards and two touchdowns on 49 carries.[4] Peoples competed for the Buckeyes starting running back job ahead of the 2025 season.[5][6]
Personal life
[edit]His father, James Peoples, was a quarterback at Cleveland Heights, while his mother, Nakisha Peoples, was a Hall of Fame track athlete at Thiel College in Greenville, Pennsylvania.[7]
References
[edit]- ^ Fenbers, Robert. "James Peoples, 2024 RB from Texas, models his game after Ezekiel Elliott and now owns an Ohio State offer: Buckeyes Recruiting". Cleveland.com. Retrieved April 19, 2025.
- ^ a b Gay, Colin (April 2, 2023). "Ohio State football adds Texas RB James Peoples to 2024 recruiting class". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved April 19, 2025.
- ^ Gutridge, Matt. "Freshman Tracker: Jeremiah Smith and James Peoples Score Touchdowns for Second Straight Game While Julian Sayin Throws Touchdown Pass in Debut". Eleven Warriors. Retrieved April 19, 2025.
- ^ Means, Stephen. "Ohio State football has a new face of its running back room, and he comes with a record-breaking comparison". Cleveland.com. Retrieved March 14, 2025.
- ^ Poloha, Josh. "Better Know a Buckeye: James Peoples' Well-Rounded Skill Set Gives Him the Potential to Be an Every-Down Back for Ohio State Beginning in 2025". Eleven Warriors. Retrieved January 4, 2025.
- ^ Rabinowitz, Bill (March 21, 2025). "Ohio State football RB James Peoples ready to step into big role, embraces tandem system". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved April 19, 2025.
- ^ Fenbers, Robert. "James Peoples, top-5 running back, says Ohio State is a frontrunner days before his visit to Columbus". Cleveland.com. Retrieved April 19, 2025.