If you’ve ever watched Ohio State football, you probably already know about Brutus Buckeye, who served as the school’s mascot and was a consensus All-American two years running. However, you may not know that Chris Spielman, Joey Bosa, and Jelani Thurman all played college football for the Buckeyes. Read on for a quick rundown of Ohio State football’s history.
Brutus Buckeye was a mascot of Ohio State football
Known as Brutus Buckeye, the athletics mascot of Ohio State University first made his debut in 1965. Over the years, he has undergone periodic updates to his look, including his wardrobe and design. Today, he travels to various university events and participates in spirit-based contests. In addition to sporting the Buckeye gear, he also wears a variety of other collegiate colors.
Brutus Buckeye was created by two students from the school’s College of Arts and Sciences. In 1965, the Buckeye was the official state tree of Ohio. Brutus was originally designed as a papier-mache head costume that would resemble a buck. In addition, he would sometimes perform stunts like head banging and drumming while pretending to sing. The mascot was selected through a campus-wide competition. In December, Ohio State students proposed the idea for the buckeye. Later that month, the mascot made his debut at Ohio Stadium. Unfortunately, he suffered a tragic incident before the game in 2000 when his costume was stolen. This forced him to wear the costume of an earlier year.
Brutus was a popular mascot in the 1980s. His appearances were numerous and his personality quickly became an iconic part of Ohio State sports. He is so popular that Ohio State has several other mascots besides Brutus. These include Brutus and The Big Ten. Both of the schools were honored for their athletics teams. Brutus Buckeye was named Capital One National Mascot of the Year, an honor that is awarded every two years. He also appeared in four commercials during the 2010-11 NCAA football season and a second time in the 2011-12 season.
Joey Bosa was a two-time consensus All-American
He repeated most of his honors his sophomore season, but missed a chance to win the Nagurski-Woodson Defensive Player of the Year award.
In college, Nick Bosa was not the same player as his older brother Joey. His high school ranking didn’t matter much to him, and his talent surpassed expectations at the next level. Bosa, who was a two-time consensus All-American, wreaked havoc on Ohio State’s defense in three seasons. Though he hasn’t done a lot of television work, Bosa has dominated the offensive gameplans of NFL teams for the past two seasons.
Chris Spielman played college football at Ohio State
The Detroit Lions have signed Chris Spielman, a two-time All-American who played college football at Ohio State. He made 283 solo tackles in his career and won the 1987 Lombardi Award as best college lineman. He also won the Chic Harley Award as best senior player. The former All-American earned his degree in recreation education from Ohio State and signed with the NFL.
The former Ohio State safety holds several records. He is the all-time Buckeye leader in total tackles and holds the record for most solo tackles in a game. He was a three-year starter and In addition to his countless accomplishments on the field, Spielman is also a philanthropist.
Jelani Thurman committed to Ohio State
Today, Jelani Thurman verbally committed to Ohio State football. Thurman is a four-star tight end and the No. 135 overall recruit in the 2023 recruiting cycle. He chose Ohio State over Alabama, Auburn, Michigan State, and Notre Dame. The 6-foot-5, 230-pound Thurman is a native of Fairburn, Ga. He is the son of former Bengals linebacker Odell Thurman. His parents have a long history of athletic success. Jelani Thurman’s father, Odell, is an All-SEC linebacker and his mother is an WNBA player. She is also a highly versatile athlete who is very likely to excel at Ohio State.
A four-star tight end, Jelani Thurman chose Ohio State over Michigan State, Alabama, and Michigan in the 2023 recruiting cycle. Thurman visited Ohio State’s campus three times during the summer, and he decided to make the Buckeyes his final destination. Though Michigan State was the favorite to land Thurman, Ohio State swooped in at the last minute to win his commitment.
