Shaun Wade announces return for redshirt junior season
COLUMBUS, Ohio - One of the few question marks about who may depart for Ohio State, Shaun Wade had serious considerations on each side for whether or not he should head to the NFL.
Leave early, and he most likely would guarantee himself the money of a first-round draft pick, but he may earn even more money coming back for a season and improving his draft stock, and the risk of injury obviously increases with coming back for his redshirt junior season. The pros and cons go both ways, but Wade finally broke his silence Saturday about his future.
In his hometown of Jacksonville, Fl., Wade made the surprising announcement that he will be returning to Ohio State for his redshirt junior season.
Wade's return will leave him as the Ohio State's only returning starter in the secondary. Jordan Fuller and Damon Arnette are both graduating this year and Jeff Okudah already announced that he'll be forgoing his senior year and heading to the NFL as well.
A five-star prospect out of Jacksonville, Wade using his redshirt in his true freshman season after suffering an injury and first made an impact for Ohio State in 2018. Sitting behind Kendall Sheffield, Wade didn't start in his redshirt freshman season, but still became an integral part of Ohio State's defense as he led the team in interceptions.
Playing in 13 games, he completed 31 tackles, was in on seven pass breakups and intercepted three passes. He had a career-high five tackles against TCU and set himself up as a clear-cut starter heading into 2019 with his consistent play throughout the season.
In 2019, Wade had fewer number of tackles, just 26, but added some new tricks to his repertoire with two sacks on the season. Additionally, he matched his seven pass breakups from his redshirt freshman year and added an interception against Rutgers.
Rising through NFL draft ranks during the season, Wade made an impression with his lockdown coverage throughout the year and began to earn serious NFL consideration. Wade was projected as one of the top cornerbacks in the draft this year, but he'll look to improve his status even further as he tries to lead Ohio State's otherwise young secondary into 2020 with a new cast of players and coaches.