Ohio
Spring Position Preview: James Peoples, Bo Jackson Bring High Upside to Ohio State Running Back Room Alongside Transfer CJ Donaldson
It’s hard to do better than what Ohio State had at running back in 2024.
Two of the best ballcarriers in college football, TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins, played a tandem role out of the backfield for the Buckeyes. Each rushed for more than 1,000 yards while averaging 5.5 yards or more per carry behind an offensive line that shuffled several times.
Both are off to the NFL as projected first- or second-day picks in the 2025 NFL draft. Like many positions from Ohio State’s senior-laden national-title-winning squad, the Buckeyes now have no returning starters at running back. The only upperclassman in the room entering 2025 spring practice is a transfer, as no player who rushed for at least 200 yards returns for the Buckeyes.
While Carlos Locklyn’s room will take a step back from its rarified combo last year, Ohio State could still have a formidable backfield this season, especially if sophomore James Peoples makes a leap. His strides and the readiness of his fellow youngsters will be key storylines to watch at running back this spring.
In line to start: James Peoples, CJ Donaldson
Donaldson is much easier to project than Peoples. The West Virginia transfer has a multi-year track record as he comes to Ohio State.
In 2023, Donaldson had 171 carries for 798 yards (4.7 yards per carry) and 11 touchdowns. In 2024, Donaldson had 163 carries for 734 yards (4.5 per carry) and 11 touchdowns. The 6-foot-2, 238-pound bull has never fumbled in 421 career carries and will be a consistent downhill and short-yardage option.
Peoples is where the highest upside of the duo lies. Players often make a big jump from year one to year two and the Texas product entered Columbus with plenty of recruiting pedigree as the No. 115 overall prospect and No. 8 running back in the 247Sports composite.
After the transfer of former Ohio State running back Dallan Hayden to Colorado, he quickly emerged as the team’s No. 3 back last season and was the fifth member of his recruiting class to shed his black stripe. After impressing in preseason camp practices open to the media, Peoples collected 197 yards on 49 carries (four per carry) and two touchdowns while taking off his training wheels.
“I didn’t redshirt, they let me get the experience under my belt and I’m very grateful for that,” Peoples told Eleven Warriors at Ohio State’s CFP media day. “That’s going to be big to help get me ready for this upcoming year. There’s a lot of things ahead of me and a lot of things to come. But I’m staying patient and when that time comes, I’m going to take it.”
The 5-foot-10 Peoples has burst and agility in his running style but has shown an ability to keep his legs churning through contact, too. He’s got the potential to break out as a star for Ohio State, but that starts with a great set of spring practices.
The depth
Things were looking a touch thin for Ohio State at running back, where it dodged the injury bug in 2024 after injuries hindered the position room during swaths of the 2022 and 2023 seasons. Then redshirt freshman Sam Williams-Dixon withdrew from the transfer portal 10 days ago and suddenly the Buckeyes were back to six scholarship running backs, including five for spring practice.
The three-star Ohio product will try to compete for carries alongside Donaldson and Peoples. The versatility in Williams-Dixon’s game could aid his chances of earning playing time, as his high school receiving track record was almost as impressive as his rushing one. He scored 41 touchdowns as a junior for West Holmes before missing significant time with Pickerington North as a senior.
Ohio State will also have three freshman running backs on scholarship this year. Four-star prospect Bo Jackson and three-star Isaiah West will get their feet wet this spring as midyear enrollees while four-star Anthony “Turbo” Rogers arrives in the summer.
Freshman to watch: Bo Jackson
Jackson will have eyes on him for his name alone, which he shares with one of the most interesting, versatile and gifted athletes of the 1980s. While the teenage Jackson doesn’t have ambitions of becoming both an MLB All-Star and NFL Pro Bowler, he’s got the talent to make an impact early at Ohio State.
The 160th-ranked prospect in the 2025 composite rankings rushed for over 1,700 yards as a junior before a season-ending injury wiped out most of his senior campaign. But the Cleveland product has next-level burst and top-end speed to create explosive plays along with the strength to be effective between the tackles. His high school, Villa Angela-St. Joseph, also made frequent use of him out of the backfield as a receiver.
Since Jackson is on campus for spring practice, he’ll have an opportunity to push for immediate playing time in year one, especially since the Buckeyes don’t have any returning starters on the depth chart in front of him.
Ohio
Warren man sentenced for Niles police chase
WARREN, Ohio (WKBN) — A Warren man who led police on a chase received his sentence on Wednesday.
Michael Greene, 32, was sentenced to three years of probation and ordered to make restitution.
Greene pleaded guilty in February to failure to comply with the order or signal of a police officer and failure to stop after an accident.
Greene was charged following a November 2025 police chase in Niles.
Prosecutors say that the chase involved speeds of about 103 miles per hour.
It was discovered that the car Greene was driving was reported stolen by a family member.
Patty Coller contributed to this report.
Ohio
A unique project asks Ohioans to map Revolutionary War graves
Experience history through augmented reality in Middletown
The Sandy Hook Foundation and Monmouth County Historical Association have unveiled an augmented reality experience that tells the story of Colonel Tye, a slave turned Revolutionary War raider for the Loyalists. Video provided by The Sandy Hook Foundation.
Ohioans have until May 25 to help document the final resting places of Revolutionary War veterans buried across the state.
The effort is part of the Revolutionary War Veterans Graves Identification Project, a first-of-its-kind initiative led by America 250-Ohio, the commission organizing the state’s celebration of the nation’s 250th anniversary. The project aims to create a publicly accessible database of veterans’ graves, complete with photographs, inscriptions and GPS coordinates, according to a community announcement.
The public can submit information through the Grave Marker and Cemetery Collection Portal until May 25. Submissions will be reviewed and finalized before the database is released July 4, the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
Thousands of graves documented by volunteers
Launched on Memorial Day 2025, the project has mobilized about 350 volunteers who have documented more than 4,000 grave markers across Ohio. The database is expected to include information on up to 7,000 veterans believed to be buried in the state.
Clusters of graves have been found in areas such as Clermont County and regions corresponding to the original Virginia Military and United States Military Districts. The first documented entry was the grave of Nathaniel Massie, a Virginia Militia private who founded the city of Chillicothe.
A window into Ohio’s early history
Ohio is home to a large number of Revolutionary War veterans’ graves, despite not being one of the original 13 colonies. After the war, portions of Ohio’s land were granted to veterans as payment for their service, drawing many to settle and build communities in the region.
Previously, records from organizations like the Sons of the American Revolution and Daughters of the American Revolution identified about 6,800 veterans buried in Ohio, but lacked precise locations and current photographs.
How to participate before the deadline
Anyone with a smartphone can contribute to the project. No historical expertise is required. Here’s how to participate:
- Visit ohiohistory.org/revwargraves to review instructions and explore the map of cemeteries already identified as likely grave sites.
- Download the free Survey123 app on your smartphone.
- Visit a cemetery, photograph the grave marker, record inscriptions, and log GPS coordinates.
- Submit your entry through the portal before May 25.
Volunteers who do not wish to remain anonymous will be acknowledged by name for their contributions. The completed database will remain publicly accessible beyond the America 250 celebration and will be maintained by the Ohio State Historic Preservation Office and the Ohio History Connection.
A lasting legacy for future generations
The project is led by the Ohio History Connection and its State Historic Preservation Office, with support from Terracon Consultants, Inc. Submissions appear on a live, publicly viewable dashboard at ohpo.maps.arcgis.com.
“These are the very first veterans of the United States of America,” Krista Horrocks, historian, cemetery preservationist, and project manager with the Ohio History Connection said in the announcement. “Documentation is the part that will outlive all of us. Gravestones won’t survive forever, but if we can record their location and story today, that information will be here for generations to come.”
To learn more, view the live dashboard, or submit information on a grave site, visit ohiohistory.org/revwargraves.
This story was created with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the information gathering, review, editing and publishing process. Learn more at cm.usatoday.com/ethical-conduct.
Ohio
Ohio governor announces new Medicaid fraud prevention initiatives
COLUMBUS — Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced Wednesday that he is implementing several new fraud prevention initiatives to strengthen and build-upon long-standing efforts to fight fraud, waste, and abuse in the Ohio Medicaid system.
“Ohio has long been a national leader in fighting Medicaid fraud. Ohio has one of the best Medicaid Fraud Control units in the country, and, in 2018, Ohio became the first state to implement Electronic Visit Verification in home health care,” DeWine said.
“Today, we are ready to begin several new initiatives long in development that will enhance this nation-leading work and further protect taxpayer funds from those trying to defraud the State.
“I thank the Trump Administration for their partnership and collaboration that is allowing us to proceed with these reforms much faster than previously possible.”
New initiatives
DeWine said he is directing the Ohio Department of Medicaid to implement the following:
- Statewide New Provider Moratorium. The Ohio Department of Medicaid will today ask the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) so Ohio may implement a six-month moratorium on new home-healthcare and hospice businesses being able to become Medicaid providers. This will allow Ohio Medicaid to stop enrollment of new providers and assess existing providers to help remove those at high risk for having committed fraud.
- Immediate Payment Suspension to High-Risk Providers. Ohio Medicaid will today begin a policy of immediately removing and suspending payment to providers whose billing practices show “red flags” that indicate a high probability of fraud. Ohio Medicaid already has a robust payment suspension protocol that is currently used to stop payments to questionable providers. In January, Ohio Medicaid began the process of implementing new data analytics tools to help identify billing data anomalies that could better identify fraud. To date, this process has identified 87 providers who will be subject to further review and potential payment suspension.
- Executive Order for Emergency Rules. The Governor will be issuing an Executive Order that will allow the Ohio Department of Medicaid to implement emergency rules to require more frequent revalidation of providers being identified as higher-risk for committing fraud. Governor DeWine sent a letter to CMS on May 1 committing Ohio to partnering with the Trump Administration and using a more stringent revalidation process to better prevent fraud.
- Mandatory GPS Requirement for Electronic Visit Verification. Ohio Medicaid will file rules to require GPS for all providers using Electronic Visit Verification (EVV). Since March 2025, Ohio Medicaid has begun phasing in EVV as a mandatory requirement for home healthcare provider payment. In December, DeWine authorized Ohio Medicaid to begin the information technology investments needed to make GPS mandatory for EVV. Ohio Medicaid now ready to make this rule change to implement the requirement. Ohio Medicaid has worked collaboratively with Ohio Auditor Keith Faber on identifying solutions to issues identified in the Auditor’s audits of Ohio Medicaid, and this new rule will implement a key recommendation of the audits.
- Mandatory EVV for Live-In Caregivers. Ohio Medicaid will begin the rulemaking process to require live-in caregivers to use EVV during home healthcare and as a requirement for payment. Currently, family and live-in caregivers are exempt from this requirement.
Ohio’s work in prosecuting Medicaid fraud
Ohio has been a national leader in catching and prosecuting Medicaid fraud thanks to a strong partnership between Ohio Medicaid and the Ohio Attorney General’s Office and its Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, the governor said.
Since the beginning of 2023, Ohio has secured 444 Medicaid fraud indictments, 481 convictions, and 146 civil settlements and judgments resulting in $78.4 million in recovered taxpayer fund.
Under Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, the unit received a U.S. Office of the Inspector General’s Award for Excellence in Fighting Fraud, Waste, and Abuse in 2022, and it ranked #1 in the nation for number of convictions secured in 2015 under then-Attorney General Mike DeWine.
Utilizing home healthcare to protect taxpayer dollars
Home and community-based care programs have been a core component of Medicaid services for decades since they were initiated under Ronald Reagan’s Administration.
Ohio is one of 47 states and the District of Columbia that provides such care under a waiver granted by CMS.
Ohio’s home and community-based care programs are grounded in data showing that legitimate in-home care is typically safer for individuals and significantly more affordable for taxpayers.
In 2024, Ohio saved more than $600 million in taxpayer funds that would have been expended had patients receiving home healthcare been diverted to skilled nursing or other residential care services, saving several billion dollars over the course of the DeWine Administration.
On average, home health care costs half as much as placement in a nursing facility.
Ensuring access to appropriate home-based care is both a responsible use of public resources and a critical part of meeting the needs of our most vulnerable Ohioans who otherwise would require placement in higher-cost nursing facilities.
Additional efforts to fight fraud, waste & abuse
Providing care in a home setting requires a robust set of controls to detect and prevent fraud.
Ohio Medicaid has been proactively evaluating all program integrity initiatives to ensure taxpayer dollars are well spent and that quality care is being provided.
The governor’s office said the department has been engaged in a thorough review of programs and policies to evaluate any risks to the integrity of the program, identify potential gaps that could be exploited, and explore opportunities to leverage new and emerging AI and data analytic tools to stay one step ahead of anyone looking to exploit the system.
As part of that work, since the start of 2026, the Department has initiated new prior authorization requirements for high-risk services to ensure medical necessity.
Ohio Medicaid launched efforts to build new data analytic capabilities to identify unique outliers in billing patterns, better assess vulnerable business ownership structures, and improve coordination of fraud fighting efforts.
These efforts are designed to improve the early detection of potential fraud and identify future areas of inherent program risk.
To confirm that billed services are actually rendered, Ohio Medicaid relies on an extensive set of safeguards, including:
- Comprehensive provider screening and continuous compliance monitoring.
- Mandatory electronic visit verification capturing date, time, and service location.
- Advanced analytics that flag unusual billing patterns or service trends.
- Routine and targeted audits performed by program integrity staff.
- Coordination with state and federal partners when concerns arise.
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