Tag: BIA

Ohio State cornerback Shaun Wade named Big Ten’s Defensive Back of the Year

Ohio State DB Shaun Wade was named Tatum-Woodson Big Ten Defensive Back of the Year Wednesday.

The Ohio State football team wants you to know that they believe they have the best defensive backs in the country. The Buckeye secondary doesn’t even care about being “DBU”. They’ve moved on to BIA… Best In America.

Shaun Wade has done his best to keep up with the moniker and was recently named the Tatum-Woodson Defensive Back of the Year in the Big Ten. Even though Wade doesn’t have the eye-popping numbers in this shortened season, he’s done enough to garner the attention of the voters.

Wade basically was learning a new position this year, moving from the slot corner to the outside corner position. It may not seem like a big move, but there are certainly nuances to each.

What might come as a surprise to many, is since the inception of this award in 2011, Shaun Wade is the first Ohio State Buckeye to win the title as the Big Ten’s best DB. When you consider the first-round NFL corners OSU has produced with names like Bradley Roby, Eli Apple, Marshon Lattimore, Denzel Ward, Jeff Okudah, and Damon Arnette, it’s unbelievable that Wade is the first winner for the Buckeyes since the inception of the Tatum-Woodson trophy in 2011.

There will be those who will try to tell you that Wade wasn’t deserving of the honor. Don’t believe them. Shaun Wade is not only the best in the Big Ten, but he’s also one of the best in the country and I think we’ll see proof of that through the end of the season.

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WATCH: Ohio State hype video on reloading the BIA secondary

The Ohio State creative team is at it again. Wednesday, it dropped an insane BIA reload video on Twitter in honor of the DBs for 2020.

Ohio State has had a slew of defensive backs go to the NFL over the last few years. So much so that the unit has begun to not call itself DBU (Defensive Back University), but has used its own tagline, BIA. It stands for Best In America, and it’s a way of differentiating itself from the LSUs and Floridas that argue over being DBU.

This year, to keep up with that culture and mantra, the Buckeye program sent to more first-rounders to the NFL. Both Jeff Okudah and Damon Arnette were taken in the first twenty picks and will get a shot to start and be a big part of things immediately.

It doesn’t stop there though. It’s a next man up mentality in Columbus, and because of that, Ohio State football dropped an insane BIA reload video via Twitter today.

Click on the below, crank it up, and get excited for what’s in store from this secondary again in 2020.

Ohio State Football is the official DBU and will need to back it up against Clemson. Look at this crazy stat from 2019 as proof.

Several programs brag about being DBU in college football. Look at this stat though that provides further evidence that Ohio State BIA.

There’s been a fight all season (for years really) about which team is college football is DBU. Standing for Defensive Back University, it’s been Florida and LSU bickering for the top spot. But somebody has to tell them.

Many believe it’s been Ohio State’s title to lose all along. And that isn’t about to happen this year.

With Jeff Okudah and Damon Arnette, the Buckeyes easily have the most talented corner tandem, with Okudah projected to be the best cornerback prospect in college football.

Arnette and even fellow corner Shaun Wade are supposed to hear their names called in the late April draft as well. It’s not just about the potential on this roster but their success. And that’s before we even begin discussing safety Jordan Fuller who is the eraser on the back-end playing center field. He too, is most likely going to land on an NFL roster.

But wait. Here’s a stat by PFF College that proves exactly why Ohio State is DBU — at least this year.

Only one TD allowed by the combination of Okudah and Arnette in 2019? That’s hard to believe, and speaks volumes for what this group does for a much improved defense this year.

But it’s not just this year.

Ohio State has boasted elite corners such as Marshon Lattimore, Denzel Ward and Eli Apple this past decade. The Buckeye program consistently trains some of the best corners in the world.

That said, with one of the nation’s best defenses, Ohio State’s secondary will be tested like they’ve yet to be this season on Saturday.

The nation’s No. 2 ranked Ohio State pass defense, giving up just 148.5 yards per game through the air, will meet Clemson’s No. 1 pass defense, giving up just over 138.5 per game.

The Ohio State-Clemson matchup will be a battle of two elite defense going against two potent offense. Something’s got to give right?

The dynamic QB-WR trio of Trevor Lawrence, Tee Higgins, and Justyn Ross will meet Okudah, Arnette and gang in the Fiesta Bowl, and it will be a matchup for the ages. The 6-foot-4 Higgins has averaged over 140 yards per game over Clemson’s last two games alone and is a red-zone nightmare for opposing secondaries.

Will Ohio State’s defensive backs continue to lock down some of the nation’s best? This will be the real test of whether or not it deserves the title of DBU.

Or in the case of what they’ve dubbed themselves — BIA (Best in America).