Former West Virginia RB CJ Donaldson Transfers to Ohio State

The Mountaineers officially lose a key piece of their backfield.

West Virginia University running back CJ Donaldson finds space against the University at Albany defense. / Christopher Hall - West Virginia on SI

West Virginia running back CJ Donaldson is officially on his way out of Morgantown, announcing his commitment to Ohio State on Monday afternoon.

Donaldson came to West Virginia as a Morgantown, but quickly transitioned to running back after running backs coach Chad Scott noticed something in practice that made him believe he could play the position.

The position switch ended up working well for him as he rushed for 2,058 yards and 30 touchdowns on 421 carries, averaging 4.9 yards per pop during his career at WVU. He was well on his way to becoming a freshman phenom back in 2021 before suffering a season-ending injury in a loss to TCU. That season, Donaldson rushed for 526 yards and eight touchdowns.

As a sophomore, Donaldson battled numerous bumps and bruises and was never at 100% health. He did, however, still rush for 798 yards and 11 scores. This season, he took a small step back while sharing the workload with sophomore Jahiem White. In his final game as a Mountaineers, Donaldson rushed for 83 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries but also fumbled twice in the Scooter's Coffee Frisco Bowl loss to Memphis.

He will have one year of eligibility remaining

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