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2024 NFL Draft: Multiple Ohio State Buckeyes Sign UDFA Contracts
The 2024 NFL Draft ended as a productive weekend for the Ohio State Buckeyes.
Four Buckeyes players heard their names called during the three-day event. Star receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. kicked things off as the fourth-overall choice and was followed by defensive tackle Michael Hall Jr. (Cleveland Browns), tight end Cade Stover (Houston Texans), and linebacker Tommy Eichenberg (Las Vegas Raiders).
In the hours since the draft closed late Saturday evening, three other members of the Scarlet and Gray have signed NFL contracts as “undrafted free agents.” Here are the latest Ohio State players to ink professional deals.
Apr 25, 2024; Detroit, MI, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. poses after
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Josh Proctor (SAF) – Jacksonville Jaguars
Josh Proctor’s time at Ohio State was plagued by injuries, which limited his on-field contributions. However, the safety has more than proven his ability in the reps which he has received.
During the NFL Combine, the Owasso, Oklahoma native said his time off of the field has helped him prepare himself for life in the NFL.
“It helped me mature,” Proctor said. “Helped me learn, helped me grow in different aspects in life. So honestly, it’s just a great opportunity to be a better person, a better player at the end of the day.”
Xavier Johnson (WR) – Buffalo Bills
Xavier Johnson was Ohio State’s primary option out of the slot last season, a position at which he was able to mix his terrific hands with lightning speed. Receiver is not the only spot at which Johnson has experience, as the career of “weapon X” began playing defensive back.
By adding Johnson to their roster, the Bills are one step closer to filling the massive shoes of receiver Stefon Diggs. Diggs was traded to the Texans earlier this month, in exchange for a handful of current and future draft picks.
Matthew Jones (OL) – Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins offensive line was one of the best in the NFL last season. Miami finished with the most earned yards last season with 6,822, which averages out to over 400 per game.
Matthew Jones will have to work hard to earn a place on such a strong O-line, something of which the senior is not afraid. Following Ohio State’s Pro Day on March 20, Jones said his focus would be on becoming as multifaceted as possible.
“I’m just trying to be as versitalle as possible,” Jones said. “From that center position, just be comfortable and be confident.”
Ryan Day will have some very familiar competition in the Big 10 soon.
The son of the Ohio State football coach, R.J. Day, announced his commitment to Northwestern for the Class of 2027 on Sunday.
Northwestern plays in the same conference as Ohio State and the schools will face each other.
R.J. Day, a 6-foot-1, 205-pound quarterback from — not surprisingly — Columbus, Ohio, has started for three years at St. Francis DeSales HS as he heads towards his senior season.
According to reports, the younger Day had other offers from Purdue, Syracuse, Cincinnati and South Florida, as well as others.
Northwestern has eight quarterbacks on head coach David Braun’s roster.
And the offensive coordinator for the Wildcats is Chip Kelly, who served in the same role for Ryan Day at Ohio State when the Buckeyes won the title in 2024.
Kelly, the former head coach at UCLA and Oregon, was also the offensive coordinator at New Hampshire when Ryan Day was the team captain from 1998-2001.
Most recently, Kelly was the OC with the Las Vegas Raiders before he took the job with Northwestern.
“It’s really surreal when you think about the relationships that we’ve had with those two as a family over the years,” R.J. Day told ESPN earlier this month. “Coach Kelly coached my dad in college, so that adds another layer to it.”
Cincinnati Reds legend and well-known gambler Pete Rose was possibly more than just curious about Ohio State football’s 2012 season when he texted Buckeyes coach Urban Meyer.
Appearing on “The Triple Option” show with Alabama running back Mark Ingram May 6, Meyer told a story about his relationship with Rose.
After OSU hired Meyer, the Reds asked him to throw out the first pitch at a game. Meyer threw to his son, Nathan, and walked into the dugout, where Rose, MLB’s all-time hit leader, was waiting to greet him.
“I couldn’t get enough talking about ‘Big Red Machine,’ and he wanted to talk college football,” Meyer said on the podcast, explaining how the two spoke for hours and exchanged numbers.
Meyer said that during his first season, Rose texted him early on. He wanted information about the team, like news on Braxton Miller’s shoulder injury.
“I told that to someone, and they said, ‘You’re an idiot. Do you know he’s trying to get information from you for gambling, and you could get in trouble?’ ” Meyer said.
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Though Meyer asserted that he never disclosed much, he started to steer the conversations clear of college football after he realized Rose potentially wanted information for gambling.
The two had another conversation in Las Vegas, where Rose told Meyer he gambled daily after retiring.
Rose was banned from baseball for betting on the sport, something he admitted to in his 2004 autobiography. Rose was reinstated in 2025 and so is considered eligible for the Hall of Fame.
Still baseball’s most prolific hitter (4,256 hits), Rose died in 2024.
GIRARD, Ohio (WKBN) – Over 100 athletes came together for the 5th Annual Trumbull County Special Olympics Invitational Saturday morning in Girard.
These athletes represent five different schools across Trumbull County to compete and spread the message of inclusion, achievement, and sportsmanship.
The Invitational continued its long-standing tradition of honoring the legacy of Randy Suchanek while celebrating the dedication and accomplishments of Special Olympics athletes throughout the region.
“You can hear all the excitement for this, for the athletes that are here today,” said superintendent Bryan O’Hara. “They work hard all year long to participate. We’ve always worked hand in hand with the rotary to get this accomplished is a lot of work behind the scenes.”
Participating schools included Ashtabula, Geauga, Columbiana, Kent-Portage and Trumbull Fairhaven
“There’s a lot of nice participation from girard students as you see behind us, and a lot of participation from the community helping out,” Girard-Liberty Rotary co-president Andy Kish added.
O’Hara added that the event keeps everything in perspective, seeing the athletes compete in the spirit of fun, along with the courage and determination that they show.
Alex Sorrells contributed to this report.
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