Seeing college football players transfer was once more of an exception than the norm. But, just like that crazy uncle at family gatherings, like it or not, it’s here to stay.
And while Ohio State hasn’t seen the mass exodus of players other programs have, we’ll still write about players leaving the scarlet and gray for colors of another hue years from now.
This offseason, one of those players we put fingers to keyboard on was former four-star receiver Kaleb Brown. He entered the transfer portal and … somewhat surprisingly backed the U-Haul up to the corn and rolling hills of Iowa City with the Hawkeyes. Yeah, that Iowa team that had a better chance of scoring a safety than an offensive touchdown last season (we’re looking at you, Brian Ferentz).
It was a curious decision, but one that seemed predicated on how much talent the Buckeyes had at wide receiver. Sure enough, Brown talked to the media at Iowa for the first time recently and pretty much confirmed that notion.
“Going into the transfer portal, my reasoning for leaving – was just how stacked we were at Ohio State,” Brown said. “The two boxes I wanted checked were quarterback stability and a place where I could work for a spot and play immediately. So, those boxes were pretty much checked (at Iowa), and it was an easy decision for me.”
Don’t be mad, Buckeye Nation. Who’s to blame a kid who sees the writing on the wall with all of those first-round NFL draft picks still honing their game at the college level at OSU? Brown had to go to a place where he felt he could develop and play for his future hopes and dreams. Sometimes that’s at a place where he can be the man and get a lot of reps and game experience.
New #Iowa wide receiver Kaleb Brown had his first media availability today as a Hawkeye. Said things are going smoothly, and that his time in Iowa City has been “even better than he expected.”
Story coming soon. pic.twitter.com/KffUREAlSb
— Eliot Clough (@EliotClough) July 18, 2023
I hope Brown breaks out and makes it to the NFL. I just hope he doesn’t thrash Ohio State when the teams play each other to the point where the Hawkeyes spring another upset like we saw in 2017. I’ve finally worked through all the emotions and trigger points through therapy and am on the mend, so let’s not do it again.
To his credit, Brown had high praise for what he took from that talented group on the muddy banks of the Olentangy.
“I learned so many different things from them,” Brown continued. “If I could put it in one thing, it’d just be learning the right way to do things, because I wasn’t always a receiver. All of those guys are pretty precise in the things that they do, so I definitely looked up to them for a while.”
In a way, I’m kind of happy that we’ll get to see Brown’s development up close in the Big Ten, and remember … “once a Buckeye …”
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