CJ grad dancing with the Buckeyes

By Brian Kollars | Friday, December 30, 2011, 02:07 PM

Friday’s Buckeye report from Ohio State Media Relations:

Buckeyes Work Through Day 3 in Florida

It was a bit warmer on the practice fields today; Luke liked the effort

PONTE VEDRO, FLA. - Ohio State held its third TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl practice in the state of Florida Wednesday. The team went through 18 five-minute periods plus a five-minute stretch session under slightly overcast skies but still with plenty of sunshine and blue visible.

“It was a good practice today,” coach Luke Fickell said. “I felt like the guys got after it and really gave a good effort out there today.”

Practice started about 9:45 a.m. and the Buckeyes were through at 11:35 a.m.

Another Fine Lunch

After practice the Buckeyes enjoyed another fine lunch underneath the stands of North Florida’s Hodges Field. Locals prepared some incredibly flavorful steaks and grilled boneless chicken breasts Wednesday and today there was a feast of barbeque chicken and beef brisket. Side sauces included “Memphis Sweet,” a “Kansas City BBQ” and “Carolina Gold.” All were good. The sweet was sweet. The BBQ was tangy. And the gold was mustard-and-vinegar like.

A Good Attitude at the Latitude

The Buckeyes had a fun-filled Thursday evening of food, bowling, X-box, bowl game watching, dee-jaying and dance battles at the Latitude 30 entertainment complex. Highlights had to include the 30-minutes or so that some of the players, led by the receiver Corey Brown, Verlon Reed, Kenny Guiton, Chris Fields and Jordan Hall, took control of the dee-jay booth and dance area. The guys rapped and danced in front of a nice crowd of onlookers and, in the words of Boom Herron, “they were just going away!” And then…

The Dance Battle

A Latitude 30 employee was seeking a dance battle and out of the throng of Buckeyes to take him on was…senior manager Sean Branick, from Dayton and Chaminade Julienne High School. Engaging in some freestyle hip hop moves, Branick took down the employee with a routine that ended with a whole body shake that included what could only be described as a “shaky-shake” of the right wrist.

“I had some friends in high school who could dance really well, so I learned from them,” Branick said. “I spent a lot of time in front of a mirror looking stupid, but hey, it paid off!”

Early Risers

The entire Ohio State team and its coaching staff attended the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) breakfast Thursday morning at the First Baptist Church in downtown Jacksonville. The event started at 7 a.m. and with a 30-minute ride from the Sawgrass Marriott to the church, the Buckeyes were welcomed into the day with 6 a.m. wake-up calls. A smaller group of Gators attended the event, including Jon Bostic, a junior linebacker, and Trey Burton, a sophomore running back.

Keynote Speaker: Sammy Smith

Former Miami Dolphin and Florida State Seminole Sammy Smith was the keynote speaker at the FCA breakfast. He said his wife asked him this morning if he was going to be nervous speaking at an event attended by Florida Gators.

“We are all Christians,” Smith told his wife. “We all love the Lord. Plus there is a coach here who played for the University of Georgia. If Will Muschamp can be accepted here, than I can be accepted here.”

Same Dolphin Drafts

Ohio State strength and conditioning coach Jeff Uhlenhake was the Miami Dolphins’ fifth-round draft pick in the 1989 NFL Draft. Sammy Smith was the first of two first-round picks for the Dolphins that year: Louis Oliver, a defensive back from Florida, was the other. One other player was drafted ahead of Uhlenhake: Syracuse defensive back David Holmes. Uhlenhake had one of the longer NFL careers of all these picks: 10 years (five with Miami; two with New Orleans; three with Washington).

Sweat and Jackson Take the Stage

Taking the stage at the FCA breakfast for the Buckeyes to talk about their personal lives and their spiritual development were senior linebackers Tony Jackson and Andrew Sweat. Sweat was appreciative of his teammates for helping him through the tough times early in his career.

“You are overwhelmed as a freshman, but guys like James Laurinaitis and Malcolm Jenkins helped guide you through and helped keep your perspective in focus on what’s most important in life.”

Jackson, who was 13 when he really started to want to understand his own spiritual life, has relished an opportunity to be a Christian leader for this team.

“Being able to pray for the team and with the team before we take the field, and again after games, has been a real highlight of this year,” Jackson said.

14 Years in Top 5

Sammy Smith, who spoke of experiencing the loss of a child, a career-ending injury and a six-year prison stay before he changed his life, played for the Seminoles when that program was in the midst of a 14-year run of Top 5 national rankings each year. His teams missed out on national titles, and he said the Seminoles didn’t win their first national championship until FSU had players with great character on and off the field, in addition to having great talent.

“Guys like Charlie Ward, Warrick Dunn and Derrick Brooks weren’t afraid to hold teammates accountable, and they had more than just talent on the field,” Smith said. “They had character.”

Smith then challenged the Ohio State and Florida teams, both of which are in transition: “Stand up and pull some leaders out of your teams,” he said. “Find those leaders during this transition period so you can move forward.”

Local Award Winners

Tony Boselli, the former great offensive tackle with the Jacksonville Jaguars, presented two scholarship awards, called Boselli Excellence Awards, at the FCA breakfast to local high school individuals who are leaders in their schools and communities and who live their lives with great character: Brandi Walker and Robert Wright.

One Final Practice

The Buckeyes will practice one more time prior to the bowl game: Saturday morning from 9:30 to 10:45 a.m. After practice the team will attend the TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl’s Hall of Fame luncheon and then attend a walk-through at EverBank Field.

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Buckeyes enjoying the Florida sun

By Brian Kollars | Thursday, December 29, 2011, 05:19 PM

A report from Ohio State Media Relations:

Buckeyes Continue Preparation for TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl

Speed was a topic of the day when Ohio State’s coaches and players were interviewed

Ponte Vedro, Fla. - Things are warming up nicely in Florida. The temperature for the Buckeyes’ morning practice at Hodges Field, located at the University of North Florida, was a practice perfect and sublime 59 degrees and, for the second day in the row, the practice was spirited and full of pep.

The Buckeyes spent a little more time in meetings at the hotel this morning before heading out to the practice fields (about a 20-minute drive with a significant police escort). Practice commenced just before 10 a.m. and ended two hours later at approximately noon.

Following practice, the defense showered and went back to the Sawgrass Marriott for meetings and lunch, the offense lifted weights (the defense lifted Wednesday) before heading back for lunch and meetings, and a few individuals spent time with the assembled media.

Thoughts from the Day

Offensive coordinator/offensive line coach Jim Bollman, defensive coordinator Jim Heacock and four players - Tyler Moeller, Etienne Sabino, Johnathan Hankins and Ryan Shazier - met with the media for interviews on the practice fields. Some thoughts from the day:

Coach Bollman on…

Florida’s defense: “They are really good up front. They have some really big and powerful guys. They also have some quickness on the edge and they can run at the inside linebacker spots. They may have some new guys in the back end, but at this time of year they have gained some experience. They will be formidable, that’s for sure.”

Coach Heacock on…

Florida’s offense: “Our guys have a great deal of respect for them. They have an athletic front and they have played very well up front. They have speed in the backfield. They changed to a pro-style offense this year and I think it’s been good for them. I think they have a little more power and they are a little more physical.”

Florida’s speed: “You hope we can keep up with their speed. You never know until you get out in the game and see how we’re playing. I think we have the potential when we are moving fast and playing fast that we can match up. A lot of it has to do with attitude and the approach you take to the game.”

Tyler Moeller on…

The game: “It would mean a lot to win this game. You always want to finish on top. It would give the team great morale heading into next year. And for me personally, and especially the seniors, it would be great to go out with a win in the last game.”

SEC vs. Big Ten speed: “I’d put Bradley Roby up against anyone in the 40-yard dash.”

Etienne Sabino on…

Being in Florida: “It feels great to be back here. This weather…you can’t beat it.”

Players from state of Florida increasing Ohio State’s team speed: “I would like to think we have added to Ohio State’s team speed.”

Johnathan Hankens on…

His speed: “I love getting off the ball, being quick and being able to make plays and run around.”

Ryan Shazier on…

Team speed: “I think we match up [to Florida’s speed] pretty well. People may overlook us just because we’re in the Big Ten and they don’t think we are fast. But I think we have just as much speed.”

In Memory

The Buckeyes will be wearing two additional decals on their helmets for the TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl in the memory of two special individuals who lost their battles with illness earlier this month: former quarterbacks coach Joe Daniels and Jean Bruce, wife of coach Earle Bruce. A white decal with a black JD and a scarlet Buckeye leaf will honor Joe and a black decal with a white JB will honor Jean.

They’re Baaaaack

A flock (or horde or gaggle or gang) of turkey buzzards was chilling in the upper reaches of the stands at Hodges Field when the team arrived Thursday morning; enjoying the early morning warmth of the sun, no doubt. There were 29 of the large scavengers that looked to be about the size of a 12-pound turkey. Wednesday there were 18 buzzards in attendance. The stadium looks to hold about 7,500 fans, and it is typically used by the North Florida Ospreys’ soccer, track and field, and field hockey teams.

Turf Toes

The two practice fields the Buckeyes are utilizing for their bowl practices are the same kind of grass fields that the team will play on at EverBank Field (according to a couple locals at the field): a TifSport Bermuda grass overseeded with Rye grass.

A Muscular Bowling Alley

The planned entertainment for the day for the Buckeyes is an evening visit to an entertainment venue called Latitude 30. The location features bowling, billiards and the latest arcade games, plus big screen televisions and lots of music.

Looking Ahead…

The game day weather forecast changes every day, but today the forecast was for sunny blue skies and with a temperature of at least 65 degrees. So get your tickets for the game now at OhioStateBuckeyes.com.

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Gator Bowl tickets start at 60 bucks

By Brian Kollars | Monday, December 5, 2011, 10:43 AM

This just in from Ohio State, in case you’re planning a trip to Florida over New Year’s:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl Tickets Available

Prices start at $60; Every seat in EverBank Field is a chair-back seat

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Tickets are available for the 2012 TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl that will be played Monday, Jan. 2, in Jacksonville. The Ohio State Buckeyes will be taking on the Florida Gators in the 1 p.m. game at EverBank Field (77,511).

Ticket prices start at $60, plus applicable service charges.

Fans interested in purchasing tickets can do so online at OhioStateBuckeyes.com or in person at the Athletics Ticket Office in the Schottenstein Center.

Good to know…

EverBank Field is the home to the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars.

Jacksonville will host Indianapolis at EverBank Field on Sunday, Jan. 1.

Last year the facility was judged the third most fan-friendly stadium in the NFL.

Every seat is a chair-back seat.

The average high temperature in the first week of January in Jacksonville is 65 degrees, according to representatives from the bowl.

The 2011 TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl was played on a lovely 84-degree day.

The following is a direct link to the Athletics Ticket Office web page to purchase tickets:

http://go.osu.edu/2012GatorBowlTix

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Tickets available for OSU-Colorado game

By Brian Kollars | Thursday, September 22, 2011, 02:17 PM

This just in from OSU:

Tickets Available for Colorado Game

There are numerous ways for fans to purchase, including online at OhioStateBuckeyes.com

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Some tickets are available for the 3:30 p.m. game Saturday between Ohio State and the University of Colorado at Ohio Stadium. Tickets are $70 apiece.

Fans interested in purchasing tickets can do so online at OhioStateBuckeyes.com, charge by phone at 1-800-745-3000, or in person at the Athletics Ticket Office in the Schottenstein Center, or any Ticketmaster location.

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Big-name NFL veteran joins Buckeyes football staff

By Brian Kollars | Monday, July 11, 2011, 11:36 AM

This just in from Ohio State media relations:

Mike Vrabel Named Ohio State LB Coach

14-year NFL veteran retires from pro football to return to alma mater and coach

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Ohio State head coach Luke Fickell today filled the linebacker coach position on his staff with a person who, like himself, loves Ohio State, is fiercely competitive, commands respect, demands accountability and expects nothing less than 100 percent effort in anything and everything on and off the field: Mike Vrabel.

Vrabel, the 14-year National Football League veteran and three-time Super Bowl winner who was so highly thought of in the professional ranks that he was a team captain and a member of the NFL Players Association Executive Committee, announced his retirement from pro football today in order to return to his alma mater.

“I am very excited to become a part of Luke Fickell’s staff at Ohio State,” Vrabel said. “I have great faith and trust in Luke leading the Buckeye football team as he represents all the core values integral for a program’s success, and I am looking forward to working with our student-athletes as I begin the next phase of my career.”

Fickell and Vrabel…college roommates and defensive line teammates … together again on the Ohio State coaching staff…leading young warriors like they once were…and knowing all the while what it takes to be great on the field and in the classroom at Ohio State.

“Mike will bring passion and a competitive nature to everything we do, and I am really pleased to announce his addition to our coaching staff,” Ohio State head coach Luke Fickell said. “I am excited about what Mike brings to the program in terms of football knowledge and also in terms of what it means to be a Buckeye. He is what every one of our young men desire to be: a great student, player, husband and father!”

Vrabel, like Fickell, has a degree from Ohio State in exercise science. And Vrabel, like Fickell who was four times named Academic all-Big Ten, didn’t let the challenges of the sport interfere with his efforts in the classroom as he earned Academic all-Big Ten honors two times himself.

Both were outstanding competitors for the Buckeyes. While Fickell the nose guard set the school record with 50 consecutive starts between 1993-96, Vrabel was right next to him at defensive end earning two Big Ten Conference Defensive Player of the Year honors. He was the first to win the award consecutively and he also earned back-to-back All-America honors in 1995 and 1996. Vrabel twice set the single season record for sacks and tackles for loss (TFL) and he still holds school records for career sacks (36) and single season and career TFLs (26 in 1995 and 66).

Outside of their work at football camps and clinics to support their “2nd and 7 Foundation”, which provides books to children and encourages them to read and swap titles with their friends, the duo has waited some 15 years to team up again on the football field.

That’s because while Fickell was starting his coaching career a year out of Ohio State, Vrabel embarked on what would become a distinguished NFL career with three teams. It was a career that saw him a part of the New England Patriots’ dynamic run of three Super Bowls in four years (2001, 2003, 2004). In 2007, as a member of the Patriots, he was named to the Pro Bowl and a month later was named All-Pro.

On top of these accomplishments, Vrabel’s career included 206 games played with Pittsburgh, New England and Kansas City, 140 starts and enough impressive statistics - 57 sacks, 11 interceptions, 17 forced fumbles and 11 touchdowns receiving (as a tight end), including two in Super Bowls - that one has to conclude he is one of the great performers in a team sport that Ohio State has ever produced.

Bill Belichick, his coach for eight years in New England, was most impressed with Vrabel as a player and is confident of his abilities to lead as a coach.

“During his Patriots career, there was no player more respected for his football intellect and revered for his leadership by his teammates than Mike,” Belichick said. “He was elected a team captain by his peers and is a player who I think everyone knew was destined to become a coach after his NFL playing career was over.

“Mike Vrabel is as well-suited for coaching as any player I have ever coached. He has a tremendous feel for people, players, coaches and what his team needs regardless of the situation. He is outstanding in his knowledge of the game, which contributed to his excellence as a player. I have no doubt Mike will develop tough, intelligent, fundamentally sound winners.”

Drafted in the third round of the 1997 NFL Draft by Pittsburgh, Vrabel spent four years with the Steelers and played in 51 games. He was a starter for eight seasons with the Patriots, playing in 125 games and starting 110 games. He spent the last two years with Kansas City playing in and starting 30 games.

“I am extremely appreciative of the teammates, coaches, and great fans who surrounded me during my NFL career, and am honored to have been a part of three tremendous organizations in the Pittsburgh Steelers, New England Patriots, and Kansas City Chiefs,” Vrabel said. “I am especially grateful to Bill Belichick and Scott Pioli, who not only gave me the opportunity to play for a team that won three Super Bowl championships and an NFL record 21 games in a row, but also taught me invaluable lessons on creating the ultimate team approach.”

A native of Akron, Ohio, and a graduate of Walsh Jesuit High School, Vrabel and his wife, Jennifer, are the parents of two sons: 10-year-old Tyler and 9-year-old Carter.

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Buckeyes’ Heyward goes in 1st round of NFL Draft

By Maggie Short | Friday, April 29, 2011, 12:05 PM

Cameron Heyward, who was a four-year starter for the Buckeyes, was selected as the 31st overall pick in Thursday’s NFL Draft.

The Pittsburgh Steelers chose the 6-foot-5 defensive end with their top pick.

According to the Bleacher Report, “Heyward is ecstatic to be a Pittsburgh Steelers. A life long fan of the Back and Gold, Heyward himself was born in Pittsburgh and his mother has always called Pittsburgh home. His father, best known as “Iron Head” Heyward played his college football at the University of Pittsburgh as well.”

Heyward joins a group of 68 other Buckeyes to be taken in the first round of the pro football draft since 1938.

In the past decade, 15 players from Ohio State have been first-round picks.

Other Buckeyes listed as NFL Draft prospects are: Justin Boren (OL), Bryant Browning (OL), Chimdi Chekwa (DB), Jermale Hines (DB), Ross Homan (LB), Brian Rolle (LB), Brandon Saine (RB), Dane Sanzenbacher (WR) and Devon Torrence (DB).

Who do you think will be the next Buckeye selected?

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Pryor one of five Buckeyes who must sit out 5 games

By Brian Kollars | Thursday, December 23, 2010, 11:47 AM

This just in from the NCAA:

NCAA REQUIRES LOSS OF CONTESTS FOR SIX OHIO STATE FOOTBALL STUDENT-ATHLETES

INDIANAPOLIS—- Five football student-athletes from The Ohio State University must sit out the first five games of the 2011 season for selling awards, gifts and university apparel and receiving improper benefits in 2009, the NCAA has determined.

A sixth football student-athlete must sit out the first game in 2011 for receiving discounted services in violation of NCAA rules.

The violations fall under the NCAA’s preferential treatment bylaws.

In addition to missing five games next season, student-athletes Mike Adams, Daniel Herron, Devier Posey, Terrelle Pryor and Solomon Thomas must repay money and benefits ranging in value from $1,000 to $2,500. The repayments must be made to a charity.

Student-athlete Jordan Whiting must sit out the first game next year and pay $150 to a charity for the value of services that were discounted because of his status as a student-athlete.

“These are significant penalties based on findings and information provided by the university,” said Kevin Lennon, NCAA vice president of academic and membership affairs.

The decision from the NCAA student-athlete reinstatement staff does not include a withholding condition for the Allstate Sugar Bowl. The withholding condition was suspended and the student-athletes will be eligible to play in the bowl game Jan. 4 based on several factors.

These include the acknowledgment the student-athletes did not receive adequate rules education during the time period the violations occurred, Lennon said.

NCAA policy allows suspending withholding penalties for a championship or bowl game if it was reasonable at the time the student-athletes were not aware they were committing violations, along with considering the specific circumstances of each situation. In addition, there must not be any competitive advantage related to the violations, and the student-athletes must have eligibility remaining.

The policy for suspending withholding conditions for bowl games or NCAA championship competition recognizes the unique opportunity these events provide at the end of a season, and they are evaluated differently from a withholding perspective. In this instance, the facts are consistent with the established policy, Lennon said.

Gene Smith, associate vice president and director of athletics at Ohio State, said the university will “further enhance” its rules education in the future based on this situation.

“We were not as explicit with our student-athlete education as we should have been in the 2007-08 and 2008-09 academic years regarding the sale of apparel, awards and gifts issued by the athletics department,” Smith said. “We began to significantly improve our education in November of 2009 to address these issues. After going through this experience, we will further enhance our education for all our student-athletes as we move forward.”

The standard withholding condition in cases like these involving the five student-athletes is four games, or 30 percent of a season. A fifth game was added to the penalty because these student-athletes did not immediately disclose the violations when presented with the appropriate rules education, Lennon said.

“Once a student-athlete understands a violation has occurred, they must immediately come forward to report it,” he said. “That did not happen, so the additional one-game penalty was imposed.”

The university declared the student-athletes ineligible on Monday (Dec. 20) and requested reinstatement from the NCAA.

As part of their reinstatement, Adams must repay $1,000 for selling his 2008 Big Ten championship ring and Herron must repay $1,150 for selling his football jersey, pants and shoes for $1,000 and receiving discounted services worth $150.

Posey must repay $1,250 for selling his 2008 Big Ten championship ring for $1,200 and receiving discounted services worth $50, while Pryor must repay $2,500 for selling his 2008 Big Ten championship ring, a 2009 Fiesta Bowl sportsmanship award and his 2008 Gold Pants, a gift from the university.

Solomon must repay $1,505 for selling his 2008 Big Ten championship ring for $1,000, his 2008 Gold Pants for $350 and receiving discounted services worth $155.

During the reinstatement process, each case is evaluated based on the specific facts of the particular case by NCAA staff. Prior to reaching a decision, staff considers any guidelines

established by the Committee on Student-Athlete Reinstatement, a student-athlete’s responsibility for the violation, as well as any mitigating factors presented by the institution.

The university can appeal the decision to the Division I NCAA Committee on Student-Athlete Reinstatement, an independent committee comprised of representatives from NCAA member colleges, universities and athletic conferences. This committee can reduce or remove the condition, but it cannot increase the staff-imposed conditions.

Reinstatement decisions are independent of the NCAA enforcement process and typically are made once the facts of the student-athlete’s involvement are determined. The reinstatement process is likely to conclude prior to the close of an enforcement investigation. It is NCAA policy not to comment on current, pending or potential investigations.

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