'It went really well': Ohio State running backs through first practice with Carlos Locklyn
None of Ohio State’s position groups has experienced as much fluctuation in spring practice as its running backs.
Tony Alford started off as their position coach last month before his sudden departure to archrival Michigan.
As the Buckeyes took the following weeks to search for a replacement for Alford, who had spent nearly a decade on staff, it was coach Ryan Day who was largely responsible for leading the backfield through practices and meetings.
The situation settled a little on Wednesday with the arrival of Carlos Locklyn.
Hired two days earlier as the Buckeyes’ full-time running backs coach, Locklyn made his debut for practice at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center.
“It went really well,” said Quinshon Judkins, the transfer running back from Mississippi.
Judkins added that Locklyn was more reserved than usual, a result of him settling in toward the end of spring practice, which wraps up at the end of next week.
“He didn’t really talk that much,” Judkins said, “but he gave us some tips, certain things to work on as he’s learning our offense as well, because he just got here. He’s doing great so far.”
The approach did not appear to catch the running backs off guard.
“This was his first practice,” Dallan Hayden said. “He's got to learn everything. So this was kind of expected.”
But they were encouraged by their first glimpses of Locklyn’s demeanor at practice.
“He just takes people aside,” said TC Caffey, a third-year walk-on, “and tells people exactly what they need to do, right then, right there. You can tell he’s a real straightforward guy, but he loves his players.”
Added Judkins, “As you can see where he’s coached and how he is as a person, he’s very high energy, very intense, and he’s very hands-on.”
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Several of them knew Locklyn from his past stops.
Judkins was a junior in high school in Pike Road, Alabama, in 2020 when he first met Locklyn, then the director of high school relations at Florida State when the Seminoles offered him a scholarship.
“Building on our relationship and knowing who he was before he got here,” Judkins said, “it’s been awesome to continue that.”
Hayden also grew up in Memphis, Tennessee, where Locklyn coached for several high schools and later joined the staff at the university in 2017 as a weight room assistant.
“He’s a really good ball coach, a really good guy,” Hayden said.
Locklyn has made a fast rise in coaching in recent years. He left Florida State to become the running backs coach at Western Kentucky in 2021.
The job with the Hilltoppers was his first as part of an on-field coaching staff in college. Then for the last two seasons, he was the running backs coach at Oregon, where he was involved with some of the most efficient rushing offenses in the nation.
With the Ducks, Locklyn also coached Bucky Irving, a 1,000-yard rusher in both 2022 and 2023.
As the Buckeyes looked at various candidates for the staff vacancy, Day involved the running backs, keeping them updated on the search and asking them for their feedback.
“We all gave our input on what we wanted,” Judkins said.
None of the three backs who spoke with reporters after the Buckeyes’ 10th spring practice expressed hard feelings about Alford’s departure, a move that left them in flux for a period of time.
“Coach Alford was a big part of why I came to Ohio State,” Hayden said, “so to see him leave was sad, but he has a family to take care of, so I completely understand.”
Judkins saw it as a reality of the sport that has seen a high amount of turnover among coaches and players.
“With college football where it is today, I understood,” he said. “Coach Alford had to do what was best for him. I’m here at Ohio State, not only for everything around him, but the university. I'm focusing on the big picture and the brotherhood and what's important to me.”
That includes a new chapter for all of them as they move forward with Locklyn coaching the running backs.
“I’m excited to learn from him,” Caffey said, “and see the things that he’s going to instill in us.”
Joey Kaufman covers Ohio State football for The Columbus Dispatch and can be reached at jkaufman@dispatch.com.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Carlos Locklyn talks first practice with Ohio State football
