Overpaid and underpaid college football coaches in salary data
USA TODAY Sports’ salary database highlights Hugh Freeze, Billy Napier and Luke Fickell as overpaid, while Curt Cignetti stands out as a value pick.
After losing Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson from last season’s team that won the College Football Playoff, Ohio State restocked its backfield, bringing in transfer CJ Donaldson from West Virginia and giving an increased workload to sophomore James Peoples.
At the top of that position group is a familiar name: Bo Jackson has been a revelation for the Buckeyes as a freshman, rushing for a team-high 835 yards this season.
Given his name and the position he plays, it’s fair to wonder — is this Bo Jackson related to the Bo Jackson?
Is Bo Jackson related to Bo Jackson?
Alas, the Ohio State freshman running back is not related to the former two-sport star out of Auburn.
Like the 1985 Heisman Trophy winner — whose given name is Vincent — Jackson’s first name isn’t actually Bo. He was born Lamar Jackson Jr., though he’s also not related to the Baltimore Ravens’ two-time NFL MVP quarterback (who’s only nine years older than the Buckeyes freshman).
Ohio State’s Bo Jackson is from Cleveland, where he earned the nickname “Bo” at a young age. Following in the mold of the more famous athlete who shares his name — who played in both the NFL and MLB — Jackson was a multi-sport standout, competing in football, baseball and track and field at Villa Angela-St. Joseph High School in Cleveland.
Bo Jackson Ohio State stats
Jackson has rushed for 835 yards and five touchdowns on 129 carries heading into Saturday’s game vs. Michigan.
He’s averaged 6.5 yards per carry.
Bo Jackson recruiting ranking
Coming out of Villa Angela-St. Joseph, Jackson was rated as a four-star prospect by 247Sports’ Composite rankings, which had him as the No. 161 overall player in the 2025 recruiting class, including the No. 10 running back nationally and the No. 6 prospect in Ohio.
Interestingly enough, one of the many Power Four programs that offered Jackson was Auburn, where the elder Bo Jackson was a star in the 1980s.
