Ohio State cornerback Shaun Wade is preparing for the 2021 NFL draft. He decided to forgo his last year of eligibility as a Buckeye now that he’s graduated and embrace the next journey of his football career. The plan seems pretty clear.
Prior to that though, things were anything but settled once the coronavirus pandemic turned the college football season upside down. The Big Ten came out with a modified schedule, then did an about-face and put the season on the shelf, only to revisit that decision and kick off a late and abbreviated Big Ten-only schedule.
When it looked like Wade wouldn’t be able to have one more ride with his brothers at Ohio State, he elected not to wait any longer and declared for the draft. However, once things took an unexpected turn and the season was back in play, he again shifted gears and decided to withdraw his name from the draft and come back to OSU for one more go at it.
We’ve heard bits and pieces about his decision, but he took some time with Jim Rome late last week to explain the process and why he decided to don the scarlet and gray one more time.
“Just having that sour taste losing to Clemson,” Wade said. “For sure. Getting kicked out of the game. And then another thing, I knew I was going to have to have surgery, even though it was unexpected at the time I had it. I felt like I should have had it in January, but I had it late, late March … and another thing, I just wanted to graduate. At the end of the day football ends for everybody at one time — I wanted a degree — that was something special to my family … I just wanted to get my degree and make sure I was good in that area.”
That wasn’t all. Wade then went on to slather love on the environment and what Ohio State meant to him as another deciding factor for his return.
“I just wanted to make sure all the young guys were good, and I just love Ohio State at the end of the day. That’s a great school, great alumni base, great fans, great band. They got a great support system there, and I just love Buckeye Nation.”
Rome asked what his mother and family meant to him growing up and in his decision-making process. You can watch the entire exchange below thanks to the Jim Rome Show.
Wade’s comments are yet another exhibit of former players being front and center about their love for Ohio State and the people there. It’s another reason why there’s nothing like being a part of the brotherhood.
We wish nothing but the best for Wade and hope he’s able to make the most of that unbelievable skill he’s been blessed with at the next level. Once a Buckeye …
Ohio State football 2021 projected depth chart, pre-spring offense
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