Former Ohio State Star Speaks On Making History For Los Angeles Chargers

This former Ohio State Buckeyes star is doing some big things for the Los Angeles Chargers in the 2024 NFL season.

Dec 28, 2019; Glendale, AZ, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes running back J.K. Dobbins (2) runs for a 68-yard touchdown past Clemson Tigers safety K'Von Wallace (12) in the first half in the 2019 Fiesta Bowl college football playoff semifinal game at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darryl Webb/Arizona Republic via USA TODAY NETWORK Ncaa Football College Football Playoff Semifinal Ohio State Vs Clemson / Darryl Webb, Arizona Republic-USA TODAY Network via Imagn Content Services, LLC, USA TODAY NETWORK

Thanks to injuries, former Ohio State Buckeyes running back J.K. Dobbins has not had an easy road in the NFL, but he appears to be leaving that all behind him.

Dobbins set a Los Angeles Chargers record over the first two weeks of the 2024 NFL season, becoming the first player in franchise history to rush for 100 yards in the first two games of the year.

And this is for a team that once employed LaDainian Tomlinson in its backfield.

Dobbins carried the ball 10 times for 135 yards and a touchdown against the Las Vegas Raiders in the season opener and then racked up 131 yards and a score on 17 more attempts versus the Carolina Panthers in Week 2. The Chargers won both games.

"I've been telling y'all offseason. No one believed me. No one believed me," Dobbins said, via Kris Rhim of ESPN. "When I'm healthy, I can be one of the best."

Dobbins spent three seasons at Ohio State between 2017 and 2019, rattling off over 1,000 yards each year. He topped out at 2,003 yards in his final campaign, which is the single-season rushing record for the Buckeyes. He is second on Ohio State's all-time rushing list behind Archie Griffin.

Since entering the NFL as a second-round pick of the Baltimore Ravens in 2020, however, Dobbins has encountered some miserable injury luck. He suffered a torn ACL in 2021, and one game into 2023, he tore his Achilles.

As a matter of fact, Dobbins played in just 24 contests over his first four NFL seasons.

We'll see if he can buck that trend with the Chargers this year.