Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 2 games
| Wk | Opp | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 56-3vs Ball State | 5 | 27 | 5.4 | 0 | 14 | Season-high 27 yds |
| Wk 2 | L 23-24@ Texas | 2 | 7 | 3.5 | 0 | 5 | |
| Total | 7 | 34 | 4.5 | 0 | 14 |
#32
Isaiah West
Sophomore running back for Ohio State. 2026: 2 games with a box-score line.
5′10″ · 222 lb · Philadelphia, PA
CFB Index 39 · #235 of 326 RBsHigh confidenceReturning to Ohio State for 2026
CFB Index
A single number blending on-field production (an EPA-based value lane) with box-score output for this player's position.
0-100, scaled within each position's own cohort — not directly comparable across positions.
The numbers
34
rushing yards · 2026
4.9 per carry · 3 catches
2 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 27 rush yds, 18 rec yds, vs Ball State
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
2 running back for Ohio State. 2026: 2 games with a box-score line.
- Signed as a 3-star recruit to Ohio State in 2025.
Buzz vs Tape
Country hotter than the fans
The wider college football conversation reads him warmer than his own fans do — a gap of 20.7 points in belief.
29.8own fans
50.5national conversation
Ohio State Buckeyes boast the nation’s most underrated backfield duo—can Isaiah West’s explosive potential and Bo Jackson’s consistency power a title run? With a demanding schedule ahead, the spotlight shifts to the overlooked depth and…
Isaiah West
Hits the crease and outruns the angle. This is his second year in the same backfield at Ohio State. The receipt: 27 rush yds, 18 rec yds against Ball State — Week 1, 2026.
34 RUSH YDS · 0 RUSH TD · 7 CARRIES
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- positional archetype classification
- seasons on the roster
- game log
His career
202510 games
- Signed with Ohio State3-star out of St. Joseph's Prep
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★
CFB
College
Ohio State
NFL
NFL Draft
—
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
2 seasons under Ryan Day — 13-3 over that span.
2025Ohio State12-2HC: Ryan Day · Run-leaning
2026Ohio State1-1HC: Ryan Day · Balanced
Where this profile ranks vs the RB cohort
Box-score percentiles
High confidence
Concern: rush yards (0th percentile).
Box-score rates (7)
Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score rates.
Splits & context
Splits
Per-game splits
Through 2 games: 17.0 YDS/g, 4.5 YPC, 0.0 TD/g — splits start at 3 games.
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Ryan Day
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Awards
Player standing · 2026
Backup
On the two-deep and pushing for snaps.
Recognition
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
2026 outlook
Outside shot for All-Big Ten
Based on 2025: #36 of 44 Big Ten RBs
How the All-Big Ten estimate is computed
15% estimated, 95% confidence interval 13–17%. Base rate measured from players who finished at a comparable rank in their conference and came back the next season. It is an estimate from a small sample, not a forecast of this player.
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Ohio State | 7 | 34 | 4.9 | 0 | -- |
| 2025 | Ohio State | 59 | 310 | 5.3 | 2 | -- |
| Career | 66 | 344 | 5.2 | 2 | -- |
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Ohio State | 3 | 18 | 6.0 | 0 | -- |
| 2025 | Ohio State | 2 | 12 | 6.0 | 0 | -- |
| Career | 5 | 30 | 6.0 | 0 | -- |
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 1 · 2026
W 56–3
vs Ball State
Signature plays
Signature plays · top plays by |EPA|
The plays that mattered most
- Week 1 · Ball State · 4&1 · Q4 · EPA +2.65No Huddle-Shotgun #32 I.West rush middle for 10 yards gain to the BallSt39 (#26 L.Szymborski; #5 C.Jackson), 1ST DOWN
- Week 1 · Ball State · 3&2 · Q3 · EPA +1.35Shotgun #32 I.West rush middle for 4 yards gain to the OhioSt40 (#57 R.Hill; #6 C.Lewis), 1ST DOWN
- Week 1 · Ball State · 1&10 · Q4 · EPA +1.33Shotgun #32 I.West rush right for 14 yards gain to the OhioSt45 (#7 B.Marsh), 1ST DOWN
- Week 1 · Ball State · 2&7 · Q2 · EPA -1.18Shotgun #32 I.West rush middle for 1 yard loss to the OhioSt42 (#27 G.Forsha)
- Week 1 · Ball State · 2&14 · Q4 · EPA +0.79Shotgun #9 T.St. Clair pass complete short right to #32 I.West caught at OhioSt36, for 9 yards to the OhioSt47 (#33 J.Birden)
- Week 1 · Ball State · 1&10 · Q3 · EPA -0.61Shotgun #32 I.West rush middle for 0 yards to the OhioSt22 (#26 L.Szymborski)
- Week 1 · Ball State · 2&9 · Q3 · EPA +0.41Shotgun #13 L.Fahey pass complete short right to #32 I.West caught at OhioSt30, for 7 yards to the OhioSt36 (#54 S.Vaka)
- Week 2 · Texas · 1&10 · Q1 · EPA -0.35(02:06) Shotgun #32 I.West rush middle for 2 yards gain to the TEX32 (#28 J.Cryer; #2 D.Williams Jr.)
- Week 1 · Ball State · 2&10 · Q3 · EPA -0.19Shotgun #13 L.Fahey pass complete short right to #32 I.West caught at OhioSt24, for 2 yards to the OhioSt24 (#2 Q.Scandrett)
- Week 2 · Texas · 2&8 · Q1 · EPA +0.07(01:24) Shotgun #32 I.West rush middle for 5 yards gain to the TEX27 (#99 R.Wesley; #3 R.Biles)
Game log
How he plays
Play style
Cuts upfield fast. Designed to find the crease, not run through the line.
CFB Index positional classification
2026 Outlook
Ohio State
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Running back · Ohio State
Returning around him
- 68% of 2024 offensive production back (Solid continuity)
- 11 Ohio State players drafted to NFL
- Transfer portal: -21 net (17 in / 38 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
Ohio State · Last season: 12-2 (AP #3) · Talent rank #5 · 2026 recruiting class #4
DNA match
Player DNA
Speed Merchant
Cuts upfield fast. Designed to find the crease, not run through the line.
RB
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Briggs Bartosh’s 2025 season.
Matches Briggs on
Weight
Total rush EPA (college ability)
EPA / carry (adj)
Differs from Briggs on
Class year (lower)
Through 2 college seasons, his career arc tracks closest to Abu Sama III’s path through Iowa State.
Matches Abu on
Weight
Yards per carry
Recruiting rating
As a freshman, his production profile tracks closest to Briggs Bartosh's freshman season at Army (2025).
84%match
Matches Briggs on
Weight
EPA / carry (adj)
Total rush EPA (college ability)
Differs from Briggs on
Class year (lower)
Player DNA
Players who play like Isaiah West
Background
Pronunciation Career Highs 9 Attempts (Two times – last at Purdue on Nov. 8, 2025) 61 Rushing Yards vs. UCLA (Nov. 15, 2025) 1 Rushing Touchdown (Two times – last vs. UCLA on Nov. 22, 2025) 38 Rush Long vs. UCLA (Nov. 15, 2025) 2 Reception vs. UCLA (Nov. 15, 2025) 12 Receiving Yards vs. UCLA (Nov...
The backfield · Ohio State
- #25Bo Jackson1,090 rushing yards · 2025
- #32Isaiah West310 rushing yards · 2025
- #24Ja'Kobi Jackson98 rushing yards · 2025
- #28Stanley Jackson Jr.no box-score line yet
- #21Anthony Rogersno box-score line yet
2 more on the roster · Ohio State team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology