Tag: Ohio State Spring Practice 2020

Ryan Day believes Ohio State DB Shaun Wade is best corner in college football

Ohio State rejoiced when DB Shaun Wade decided to play another year. Head coach Ryan Day believes he’s the best corner in college football.

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We’re starting to get a lot of information coming just a few days into spring ball at Ohio State. There’s been an injury of note to running back Master Teague, some shuffling of players and positions early on, and some comments from the head coach on several key position battles going on.

Arguably the most important position group to hammer out for this fall is the defensive backs. Gone is All-American Jeff Okudah, along with two other talented guys in cornerback Damon Arnette and safety Jordan Fuller.

But unexpectedly back is a guy that may have been a little underrated on the national scene. Cornerback Shaun Wade had a decision to make at the end of last year as it relates to the NFL, and instead of making the jump, he ultimately decided to come back and be the presumed No. 1 guy on the back end of the defense for Ohio State in 2020.

The reality is that Wade’s return provides the coaching staff with a special talent to build around in a very inexperienced secondary. He may not have received the press the more seasoned trio that departed did, but he’s got the skill set to develop into another one of the program’s first-round NFL DB talents.

You can count Ryan Day as a big believer in what Wade brings to the team. When speaking to the media on the opening day of spring practice, Day was asked about the secondary and singled out the 6-1, 194 lb. rising redshirt junior.

“Shaun coming back was huge,” said Day. “I think Shaun, in my opinion should be considered the top corner in the country coming back in all of (college) football.”

The tape doesn’t lie either. All you have to do is look at the times when Wade was out last year to understand how he was missed on the field. The Ohio State secondary showed a little more bend to it when he was banged up a bit against Michigan and Wisconsin in the Big Ten Championship Game.

And not to pick off the scab from the Fiesta Bowl, but Clemson gained a little momentum and started to move the ball down the field a little better once Wade was ejected for targeting in the second quarter out in Glendale.

So yeah, the kid can play a little. He was a five-star DB out of Jacksonville when he made he made his way to Ohio State as a freshman, and it’s time for him to shine this fall. Day and the coaching staff believe it, it’s now time to make it happen on the field.

That all continues this spring.

 

* Lori Schmidt contributed to this story.

 

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Five Things to watch as Ohio State football kicks off spring practice

Spring practice is officially underway at Ohio State and there are plenty of storylines. Here are five of the most important to watch.

Football is back at Ohio State — sort of. It’s not the type of football you plan your life around and eat copious amounts of meat products in front of the television for, but it’s still football.

Spring practice has begun in earnest in Columbus and there are storylines abounding. As is the case every year, there are players to replace, gaps that need filled, and coaching changes to absorb.

At a place like Ohio State though, there’s no reset of expectations, it’s on to the next year with championship goals in mind. So off we go in what many see as the start of molding another Buckeye squad capable of big things again.

Here are five big storylines to watch as Ryan Day and company step through spring ball.

Next … Fields a year wiser

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The opening of Ohio State Spring Football had a special visitor today, Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison

Ohio State broke the seal on its 2020 Spring Practices Monday, and it had a special Hall of Fame visitor in Marvin Harrison.

Spring has officially sprung in Columbus, at least in a football sense. That’s because today, March 2, is the start of Spring Practice at Ohio State. There will be a total of fifteen spring practices, all culminating with the annual LifeSports Spring Game on April 20.

As with any breaking of the seal with OSU football, it comes with anticipation and excitement. But that was even more evident with a special visitor today, none other than NFL wide receiver Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison.

Why would he be in Columbus to watch Ohio State? If you’ve followed recruiting news at all, you know that his son has committed to play for the Buckeyes. Marvin Harrison, Jr. is ranked as the No. 8 receiver and fifty-seventh overall recruit in the 2021 class according to 247Sports.

So now it all makes sense. There are plenty of former Buckeyes that have been in the NFL and beyond that find their way back to Columbus, and it looks like you can now see Marvin Harrison making an appearance with his son destined to play in the ‘Shoe.