Ohio State University: Ohio State senior football players honored in pregame ceremony

The sea of scarlet in Ohio Stadium last Saturday included bouquets of roses that The Ohio State University football team’s senior players carried as they made their way onto the field.

More than two dozen Buckeyes were honored before the kickoff against Michigan State. Because the COVID-19 pandemic preempted last year’s pregame ceremony, this class includes players who joined the Buckeyes as early as 2016.

These student-athletes are the first senior class in Big Ten Conference history to win four consecutive outright Big Ten championships. Over the last five years, these seniors have combined for a 54-6 overall record and are 37-2 against Big Ten teams. They boast an undefeated record versus That Team Up North.

“One of the things, week in and week out, that I like to bring up is just that things go really, really fast and you can’t take anything for granted,” head coach Ryan Day said earlier this week. “Don’t wait until the last game to enjoy it, don’t wait for the last game to cry before you get on the field, and enjoy it and smell the roses because it goes really fast.”

The senior players honored include:

Sevyn Banks
Ryan Batsch
Chris Booker
Cameron Brown
Robert Cope
Aaron Cox
Haskell Garrett
Antwuan Jackson
Jack Jamieson
Cade Kacherski
Austin Kutscher
Jagger LaRoe
Demario McCall
Thayer Munford
Chris Olave
Nicholas Petit-Frere
Corey Rau
Bradley Robinson
Mitch Rossi
Jeremy Ruckert
Tyreke Smith
Master Teague
Sam Wiglusz
Marcus Williamson
The senior managers Cati Ide, Brandon Merritts, Jake Waddell, Brody Whetsel and Isaac Wilson were also recognized.

Other notable accomplishments from this senior class are a Cotton Bowl victory over the University of Southern California, a Rose Bowl victory over Washington, two College Football Playoff appearances, a Sugar Bowl win over Clemson last year and a College Football Championship game appearance.

The final game of the regular season is Nov. 27 in Ann Arbor.