Penn State has made several moves in recent months to strengthen its offense, and one addition in particular could be bigger than some think. Running back James Peoples committed to Penn State through the transfer portal this offseason, and some believe he can emerge as an important contributor in the Big Ten for the Nittany Lions.
Among those excited about Peoples’ potential impact is John Talty of CBS Sports, who recently noted that he’s a player capable of having a meaningful role with Penn State.
Peoples began his college career with Ohio State, one of the greatest programs in college football history. At Ohio State, competing for playing time is always tough, especially at running back, where elite recruits are all over the place.
For Penn State, that situation should play to its benefit. Landing a player of Peoples’ caliber is always a good thing, but stealing him from Ohio State makes it even better.
“Headed into the 2025 season, James Peoples looked poised to be the guy in Ohio State's run game. Peoples was expected to be the first option on first and second downs for the Buckeyes, but it never quite materialized that way.
“Bo Jackson wrestled away the job, rushing for more than 1,000 yards as a freshman, and Peoples hit the portal. He landed at Penn State, where he should have a good opportunity to be a primary rushing option for a Big Ten program. The talent is there -- Ohio State folks were very high on him preseason -- and he averaged 5.6 yards per carry on 61 attempts,” he wrote.
Averaging 5.6 yards per carry, even on a limited sample size, shows the type of player that he can be. Penn State has been one of the best running back schools in college football recently, so let’s see if that continues.
The transfer portal has become just as important as any other aspect of college football over the past few years. Penn State will need Peoples to be as good as he can be, but the other additions are just important for the Nittany Lions to be the team they want to be.