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Ohio State Star Playmaker Speaks on How NIL Impacted NFL Draft Decision

Published

1 year ago

July 28, 2024

Ohio State Star Playmaker Speaks on How NIL Impacted NFL Draft Decision

The Ohio State Buckeyes have had a lot of success when it comes to the football program using their NIL collective. One of the players who has benefitted from it the most is wide receiver Emeka Egbuka.

Egbkua burst onto the scene as a sophomore, catching 74 passes for 1,151 yards and 10 touchdowns as one of C.J. Stroud’s top targets. Had he been allowed to declare for the NFL draft that year, he could have been a high pick.

Alas, he had to wait at least one more season to turn pro. Unfortunately, he was unable to get close to replicating his production as a junior that he did as a sophomore.

In an injury-plagued campaign, Egbuka caught 41 passes for 515 yards and four touchdowns. Had he declared for the 2024 NFL Draft, evaluators believe he would have been selected somewhere in the first three rounds.

However, there is unfinished business for him and the team. He has lost to Michigan every season at Ohio State and that is something that motivated him to come back to school.

“It just so happened that we all came together and we were all thinking the same thing,” Egbuka said this week at Big Ten media days. “That was really special to be a part of, to know that I wasn’t alone and what I was feeling.”

Another thing that helped with the decision to come back for his senior season is NIL money. Not only does he have one last chance to beat Michigan, but Egbuka is making a nice chunk of change to do so.

The Ohio State star has NIL deals with Amazon Style, EA Sports and Casey’s. Along with The Foundation and The 1870 Society, which are NIL collectives at the school, Egbuka is earning $751,000, which lands in the top 25 of college football.

Earning that kind of money was enough of a reason for him to return to Columbus for a fourth season.

“I came in my freshman year, and it was kind of implemented early on,” he said. “For some of the other guys that came in and they started college right with NIL, it’s just allowed us to make money, which I don’t think is a bad thing. It had some implications as to why some of the guys decided to come back for their senior year because the NFL is always going to be there. That money is always going to be there. We’re able to make a little bit of an earning while we’re here in college, so I think it’s a bonus.”

Earning that kind of money before turning pro certainly makes it an easier decision to return to school. Especially for a player like Egbuka, who has a chance to improve his draft stock considerably during the 2024 season.

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$50K Powerball ticket sold in Northeast Ohio; jackpot reaches $1.5B

Published

1 hour ago

December 20, 2025

Press Room

K Powerball ticket sold in Northeast Ohio; jackpot reaches .5B

CANFIELD, Ohio (WJW) – Nobody took home the massive Powerball jackpot on Wednesday, but one Canfield man is still celebrating after purchasing a winning ticket worth $50,000.

According to Ohio Lottery, Bryan decided to try his luck after realizing the Powerball jackpot was over $1 billion. He bought a ticket from the Meijer grocery store on Boardman-Canfield Road in Boardman.

The next morning, Bryan woke up and checked the ticket, stunned to discover that he won $50,000.

After mandatory state and federal taxes, the lucky winner will take home more than $36,000.

Bryan told lottery officials that he doesn’t have specific plans for money yet, but the big win will certainly make for “a very good Christmas.”

It has been months since someone won the Powerball jackpot, which now sits at a massive $1.5 billion. There is also a cash option worth $689.3 million up for grabs.

The next drawing will be Saturday night at 11 p.m. Learn more about the Powerball right here.

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Ohio

After her son died in car wreck, Ohio mom fought for public records

Published

13 hours ago

December 19, 2025

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After her son died in car wreck, Ohio mom fought for public records

A mom searching for answers about her son’s death in a car wreck won a victory on Dec. 19 when the Ohio Supreme Court ordered the Richland County Sheriff to release records to her.

The court ruled in a unanimous decision that Andrea Mauk is entitled to three sets of records withheld by the sheriff, with only Social Security numbers being redacted. Mauk will be awarded $2,000 in damages but will not receive attorney fees.

On June 23, 2023, 18-year-old Damon Mauk lost control of his 1998 Ford Mustang and slammed it into a tree. His mother wanted to piece together what happened, collect his belongings and grieve the loss of her child. She didn’t think she’d have to fight for public records and take her case to the Ohio Supreme Court.

Following the crash, Richland County Sheriff’s deputies, a township fire department and the Ohio State Highway Patrol responded.

During the investigation, a trooper told a deputy to leave Damon’s iPhone and wallet in the car, according to Mauk’s court filings. Instead, the deputy took the belongings to the hospital and handed them off to someone who said he was Damon’s dad.

Mauk didn’t understand. Damon’s father was largely absent from his life. How could he have been there to pick up the wallet and phone?

A few weeks after the fatal crash, Mauk asked for records, including: the sheriff’s report and inventory of items taken from the car, body camera footage from deputies who gave away the belongings, the report, photos and videos created by the patrol and more.

Mauk, of the Mansfield area, received some but not all of the requested records. Mauk hired attorney Brian Bardwell to pursue records she believes exist but weren’t provided or were improperly redacted.

The sheriff’s office claimed that some of the requested records were exempt from disclosure because they are confidential law enforcement records or personal notes. The court privately reviewed the records withheld from Mauk and determined that they should be released.

The decision in favor of releasing records runs contrary to recent rulings from the high court.

In 2024, the court held that the cost of sending troopers to protect Gov. Mike DeWine at a Super Bowl game weren’t subject to disclosure and that the Ohio Department of Health should redact from a database the names and addresses of Ohioans who had died, even though that death certificate information can be released on an individual case basis.

In 2025 the court ruled that police officers’ names may be kept confidential if they’re attacked on the job, giving them privacy rights afforded to crime victims.

State government reporter Laura Bischoff can be reached at lbischoff@usatodayco.com and @lbischoff on X.

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No. 21 Ohio State women beat Norfolk State 79-45

Published

1 day ago

December 19, 2025

Press Room

No. 21 Ohio State women beat Norfolk State 79-45

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Kylee Kitts scored 13 points, Jaloni Cambridge added 11 and No. 21 Ohio State rolled past Norfolk State 79-45 on Thursday night for its eighth straight win.

Dasha Biriuk added 10 points for Ohio State, which is 10-1 overall and 7-0 at home.

Kitts was 6 of 12 from the field, and grabbed 10 rebounds to go with two steals and two blocks. Cambridge was 4-of-8 shooting and had eight rebounds and two steals.

Cambridge scored seven points in the first quarter as the Buckeyes jumped out to a 20-10 lead and built a 43-21 halftime advantage. Kitts and Cambridge each scored nine first-half points.

Ohio State outrebounded Norfolk State 55-32 and scored 21 points off 17 turnovers.

Jasha Clinton scored 18 points to lead Norfolk State (5-9). Ciara Bailey had 10 points and 11 rebounds.

Up next

Norfolk State plays at Elon on Sunday.

Ohio State hosts Western Michigan on Mondahy.

___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball

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