Ohio State football history: Where is former running back Ezekiel Elliott now?

Ezekiel Elliott's NFL career has come full circle.

The former Ohio State running back was selected fourth overall by the Dallas Cowboys in the 2016 NFL draft. He spent seven years there before joining the New England Patriots for a season and returned to Dallas in April as a free agent.

Over that time, he's recorded 9,002 rushing yards and 72 touchdowns on 2,095 carries. He has an additional 2,685 yards and 14 touchdowns receiving.

His numbers in 2024 entering a Week 6 game against the defending NFC North champion Detroit Lions are down from his peak. OSU's 2014 national championship season taught him, however, not to be overly concerned about statistics.

Ironically, that's true even though Elliott's 2014 campaign stands as the third-best by an Ohio State rusher (1,878 yards). It's just not what he remembers.

HISTORY LESSON: The 2014 College Football Playoff Championship 10th anniversary

"When I go back and look at that year, I was honorable mention Big Ten running back," he said. "I mean, there were a lot of good, good backs playing that year. You have (Wisconsin's) Melvin Gordon – I think that's the year he ran for 2,600 – (Nebraska's) Ameer Abdullah, Jeremy Lankford from Michigan State, (David) Cobb from Minnesota. So there were a lot of good backs in the Big Ten.

"And the regular part of the season, I wasn't really getting a crazy amount of touches. I probably had 20 carries two or three games."

It was actually four, but Elliott's larger point stands. His production picked up markedly in the postseason after quarterback J.T. Barrett broke an ankle in the regular-season finale against Michigan and Cardale Jones replaced him.

Elliott ran for 220 against Wisconsin in the Big Ten championship, 230 against Alabama in the College Football Playoff semifinal and 246 in the title game against Oregon. He combined for eight touchdowns in those three games.

"When J.T., unfortunately, went down and Cardale stepped in, we just had to protect the one quarterback we had, and that kind of left it on me to carry the load," Elliott recalled.

He was named offensive MVP against the Ducks , so this week's game at Autzen Stadium during the 10th anniversary of OSU's championship run may make the NFL veteran a bit wistful.

"That year kind of shaped my career as it is today," he said.

Why was that year so pivotal for him? According to Elliott, it's because that season taught him some valuable lessons.

"I remember the work it took to get to that point," he said, "because when I got to Ohio State, I was ... not ready. And I had to work so hard during that season and that offseason to get to where I was for that 2014 season."

Humbled by the mere 262 yards and one touchdown he recorded as a freshman, he said his sophomore year was when he also started to embrace the idea that he could help a team in ways other than just putting his foot in the ground and taking off.

"Being an all-around running back, taking a lot of pride in my pass-blocking, taking a lot pride in just being a complete back, (I'm) just trying to carry that throughout my career," he said. "I'm so grateful for coach (Urban) Meyer and (running backs coaches Stan) Drayton and Tony Alford for helping me create that good foundation and teaching me how to practice and how to be a pro so it could carry over to the next level."

It was not just a prolific year for Elliott but for several Buckeyes , which is why Ohio State set records for yards of offense (7,674), points scored (672) and touchdowns (90).

"That team was so close," Elliott said. "We were a young team ... and that 2014 season was a coming out party for all of us."

The resulting 2014 championship ring is in his mother's possession. His mom, Dawn Huff-Elliott, was a track and field star at Missouri and his dad, Stacy, played football there. But the next generation of Elliotts is all in on Columbus, rather than Columbia.

"I definitely feel like I'm at home when I am in Columbus," Ezekiel Elliott said. "Every time I go back, I get a rush."

He believes his two younger sisters feel similarly. Youngest sibling Aaliyah is joining the Ohio State track team. Layla Elliott, who used to run track at Ohio State, just graduated from law school.

"Me and my sisters, we formed a new connection with Ohio State," Ezekiel Elliott said, "and hopefully me and my sisters' kids will be Buckeyes someday."

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State football history: Where is former running back Ezekiel Elliott now?