As the season nears (hopefully), we’re starting to see some college football stars decide to opt-out of the season rather than risking health in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. And if you’re like me, you’re kind of waiting for an Ohio State player to make the same choice that guys like Minnesota’s Rashod Bateman did on Tuesday.
The two most likely stars to make that decision are Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields and cornerback Shaun Wade.
Well, it just so happens that both were asked that question today in a teleconference the team held to announce seven captains for the 2020 football season — Wade and Fields being two of those.
For Fields, the answer was simple to him. He hasn’t given it any thought because of his competitive nature.
“I feel like people really have different situations on whether they should opt-out or not,” Fields during the call. “Some people’s families might not be as financially stable as others — but me growing up as a kid — I’ve always been a competitor. I’ve always just loved to play football. Growing up with my family, I never really needed anything. I think my family has provided me with everything I’ve needed, so getting to the money as fast as I can isn’t really a priority for me.”
Fields went on to say he’s really just focused on the present, trying his best to soak in where he’s at now.
“Just playing with my teammates and grinding every day with Coach during workouts and playing — that’s what I’m cherishing the most right now, and really just looking forward to the season,” Fields continued. “I’m just trying to stay as optimistic as possible right now. But, really, to opting out, I can see where those guys are coming from, but I necessarily haven’t really thought of it yet.”
Justin Fields says he never thought about opting out of the 2020 college football season. Says he's always been a competitor and is looking forward to the season.
— Dave Biddle (@davebiddle) August 4, 2020
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So that brings us to Wade. Just a couple of weeks ago, his parents told First Coast News in his hometown of Jacksonville, that the projected first-round corner would sit out if the college football season was moved to the spring.
But Wade said that he too is really just focused on getting ready for camp and has no second thoughts on coming back for his redshirt junior season. He had an opportunity to leave early for the 2020 NFL Draft and could have gone somewhere in the first or second round.
“I have no second thoughts and no thoughts about opting out,” Wade echoed on the call. “Just really taking it day-by-day and trying to enjoy what we have right now. We’ve just got to listen to the Big Ten and our coaches and go through day-by-day to see what they’re talking about. We’ve got the best of everything at Ohio State so we’ve been taking it serious. I really haven’t thought about opting out or anything like that, to be honest.”
For Ohio State fans, that has to be music to the ears. Watching two of the most talented players on the roster suit up and give it one more shot only bodes well for the biggest of goals for this team.
The only thing that might be better news is hearing that we’ll actually have some college football in the fall.
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