Introducing the Newest Buckeyes: West Virginia Transfer RB CJ Donaldson Jr
The Buckeyes dipped into the portal and landed a very impressive running back from West Virginia. That being transfer RB CJ Donaldson Jr. Meanwhile, he has been an impressive part of West Virginia’s offense, but he left under the circumstances of Neal Brown being fired. He comes from Florida and only has one season of eligibility.
High School
Coming out of Gulliver Prep High School in Miami, Donaldson was rated as a three-star tight end in the 2022 class. Donaldson held offers from nine FBS programs, those being West Virginia, Florida, Tulane, USF, Appalachian State, Florida State, Indiana, Miami, and Ole Miss. He ultimately ended up picking the Mountaineers over Tulane and USF. He had a total of 1,409 yards on 96 catches with 19 scores between junior and senior year. Donaldson Jr was a 2020 Miami Herald All-Dade 5A-IND Second-team selection. He was 6’2 and weighed 215lbs.
West Virgina
He spent three seasons at Morgantown with the Mountaineers. Immediately, in his freshman season, he made the change from TE to RB. In his time in Morgantown he rushed for 2,058 yards and 30 touchdowns. At West Virginia Donaldson shared reps with Jaheim White, and did exceptionally well. Buckeye nation should be very excited about this pickup.
Safe to say Buckeyes got an absolute bowling ball at RB today: pic.twitter.com/52wcVh3KOj
— Kaleb Longhurst (@kaleb_longhurst) December 24, 2024
Scouting Report
Donaldson has tremendous height for a RB, and definitely uses it to his advantage. He has tremendous power and would be considered a “power back” as he has shown numerous times throughout his college career. Donaldson’s speed lacks only a little bit but his vision and physicality help in that aspect. Another strong suit of his game is yards after contact, he is a very talented back. A third down back and definitely the back you need at the goal line. In a good aspect, Donaldson should thrive under running backs coach Carlos Locklyn’s philosophy.
Overall, Donaldson is going to most likely share a workload with current freshman RB James Peoples, and maybe could see Freshman Sam Williams-Dixon get some touches. In addition, the Buckeyes brought in 3 running backs in their 2025 class: four-star Bo Jackson, four-star Anthony “Turbo” Rogers, and three-star Isaiah West.
Kaleb Longhurst, a Cincinnati, Ohio native, is a recruiting analyst that covers Ohio State. A trusted source for Buckeyes recruiting, Kaleb has experience at Mike Farrell Sports, but has blossomed at TSB. Kaleb is an up and coming writer who is just getting started.