Draft-eligible Ohio State players talk decision to play in Rose Bowl
COLUMBUS, Ohio — When it comes to playing in the Rose Bowl Jan. 1, his final game in an Ohio State uniform, there was no doubt what decision senior defensive end Tyreke Smith would make.
Smith said he's going to play, saying he expects everyone to join him on the field against Utah.
“I just feel that people love the brotherhood,” Smith said. “They just want to go off with a bang, play as hard as they can for the brotherhood. I feel that means something; one last game with your brothers means a lot. That’s one game you are going to take forever.”
Of the NFL Draft-eligible players that spoke Thursday afternoon, all are planning to play in the final game of Ohio State’s season, including redshirt sophomore safety Ronnie Hickman, who also added that he plans to return for another season after leading the team with 97 tackles, and redshirt sophomore Dawand Jones.
But while both junior defensive end Zach Harrison and redshirt junior cornerback Cameron Brown are planning to play in the Rose Bowl, both seem to be on opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of their future.
Brown seemed to set it in motion prior to the Michigan State game, participating in the Buckeyes’ senior day ceremony, something he said Thursday is not indicative of his decision to stay or leave.
“As a senior, you never know if I’m going to stay or not. If I do stay, I stay,” Brown said. “If I don’t, at least I walked.”
The Ohio State redshirt junior cornerback, who recorded 21 tackles, seven pass break ups, one quarterback hurry and an interception in nine games this season, also said he participated in senior tackle, telling his teammates to continue to “have the dog in them.”
“They young right now, so they just have to have the heart to go out and compete every day, go head first facing any obstacle that you handle,” Brown remembered telling his teammates.
When he was asked what a reason would be for him to come back in 2022, Brown said, “I’m not sure,” while also speaking in past tense regarding his career at Ohio State.
“My career was very bumpy. I was hurt a lot,” Brown said, saying he showed flashes of being one of the top cornerbacks in the country. “It’s just different obstacles for me hopefully to make a greater story.”
Harrison seems to be on the opposite end of the spectrum.
The junior defensive end said he’s still gathering information to make the best decision for him and his family, but that he is leaning one way or the other, not sharing blatantly which way that was.
“There’s still some things I feel like I have left on the table that I feel like if I come back, I can accomplish,” Harrison said. “That’s something I will have to factor in, sit down with my mom and dad and make those decisions.”
Harrison said that both team and personal goals are still left for him to accomplish, but that he wants to meet with newly hired defensive coordinator Jim Knowles before he makes his decision to see what role he would play next year, which would be a factor in his decision.
Harrison also mentioned that both the loss to Michigan and Name, Image and Likeness deals will also affect his decision on whether he returns to the Buckeyes or not in 2022.
Harrison feels he had a solid season for Ohio State. He tied with redshirt senior defensive tackle Haskell Garrett for the team lead seven tackles-for-loss, along with four sacks — a team high — four broken up passes, two quarterback hurries and two forced fumbles. He’s currently projected as a third-round pick according to the NFL Mock Draft Database.
But there’s part of him that still feels there’s more he could do.
“I feel like I had a good year,” Harrison said. “But there’s definitely some things I left on the table I could cross off the list if I were to come back next year.”