If Ohio State does play football this season, it will be without one of its best players and team captains.
Redshirt junior offensive lineman Wyatt Davis told Yahoo Sports Friday that he will declare for the NFL Draft after waiting to find out if a fall season in the Big Ten might materialize.
“My family and I were waiting to hear any good news that there would be a possibility to play in the fall,” Davis told Yahoo Sports. “As the weeks went on, after the initial cancellation, the news didn’t seem in favor that we would have an opportunity to play for a national championship if there was a season. At this point, my family and I made the decision that it would be my best decision to take the next step.”
Davis, a potential first-round pick in the draft, elected to return to Ohio State following the 2019 season despite being named a First-Team All-American.
However, that additional season will not come to fruition for Davis, who became the first Buckeye to opt out of the season.
Other Buckeyes projected to go in the first round of next year's draft, including junior quarterback Justin Fields and redshirt junior cornerback Shaun Wade have yet to officially declare for the draft.
However, Wade's father, Randy Wade, has stated on multiple occasions that his son will not play a spring season, and recently told Fox & Friends that Shaun will not play if the Big Ten begins its season later than October.
Earlier this week, Nebraska president Ted Carter told a local radio station that a vote on return to play protocol in the Big Ten is coming "very soon."
Whatever the result though, Ohio State's Big Ten All-Decade offensive guard won't take another snap for the Buckeyes.
“It’s really heartbreaking,” Davis told Yahoo Sports. “I believe that we would have won the national championship this year. It’s really unfortunate. I feel for all those guys, especially the younger players going into this year having that taken away from them. It’s tough, but we are in a pandemic. It’s just really unfortunate. We had something really special.”
