De'Carlo "CJ" Donaldson Jr. (born July 9, 2004)[1] is an American college football running back for the Ohio State Buckeyes. He previously played for the West Virginia Mountaineers.
Early life
Donaldson grew up in Miami, Florida and attended Gulliver Preparatory School, where he played wide receiver on the football team. As a senior, he caught 81 passes for 1,164 yards and 13 touchdowns.[2] Donaldson was rated a three-star recruit and initially committed to play college football Tulane.[3] He later de-committed and signed to play at West Virginia over offers from Florida, Florida State, Miami, South Carolina, Louisville, Indiana, and Syracuse.[4]
College career
West Virginia
Donaldson was recruited by West Virginia to play tight end.[5] He was moved to running back during preseason training camp.[6] Donaldson was named the Mountaineers' starting running back going into his freshman season.[7] He was named the Big 12 Conference Newcomer of the Week for week 1 after rushing for 125 yards and one touchdown on seven carries and also blocking a kick on special teams in a 38–31 loss to Pittsburgh.[8]
On December 19, 2024, Donaldson announced that he would enter the transfer portal.[9]
Ohio State
On December 23, 2024, Donaldson committed to the Ohio State Buckeyes.[10]
References
- ^ a b "CJ Donaldson, RB Marshall University". dynastyleaguefootball.com. Retrieved August 17, 2023.
- ^ Landon, Chuck (August 12, 2022). "Chuck Landon: WVU's Donaldson intriguing". The Herald-Dispatch. Retrieved September 26, 2022.
- ^ Santucci, Jon (September 18, 2021). "Tulane commits Carson Haggard and De'Carlo Donaldson combine for 4 TDs vs. Benjamin". Palm Beach Post. Retrieved September 27, 2022.
- ^ Cummings, Keenan (December 15, 2021). "Athlete Donaldson picks West Virginia Mountaineers football". Rivals.com. Retrieved September 27, 2022.
- ^ Wasserman, Ari (September 22, 2022). "How did CJ Donaldson, a 3-star TE recruit, emerge as WVU's starting RB … as a freshman?". The Athletic. Retrieved September 26, 2022.
- ^ Manning, Sean (August 6, 2022). "True freshman CJ Donaldson makes move to running back in WVU backfield". The Dominion Post. Retrieved September 26, 2022.
- ^ Guskey, Jordan. "West Virginia's CJ Donaldson might've surprised Pittsburgh, but shouldn't surprise Kansas". The Topeka Capital-Journal. Retrieved February 3, 2025.
- ^ Hall, Christopher (September 5, 2022). "Donaldson Earns Big 12 Newcomer of the Week". SI.com. Retrieved September 27, 2022.
- ^ Callihan, Schuyler (December 19, 2024). "WVU RB CJ Donaldson Set to Enter the Transfer Portal". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved January 1, 2025.
- ^ Grubbs, Grant (December 23, 2024). "West Virginia transfer RB CJ Donaldson commits to Ohio State". On3.com. Retrieved January 1, 2025.
External links