More than 57,000 students, families and friends were on hand at Ohio Stadium yesterday to take in Ohio State's Spring 2013 commencement – the school's 403rd commencement and second-largest ever.
Of the 10,143 degrees and certificated awarded, 111 of them went to current and former Ohio State student-athletes. Among those walking included Max Stearns, Zach Boren, Tiffany Cameron, Amanda Furrer, Brady Hjelle and C.J. Magrum.
Stearns, the 2013 Big Ten Medal of Honor winner, was a three-time All-American on the sabre, including first-team honors during Ohio State's 2012 national championship fencing run. More impressively, he graduated with a 4.0 GPA in political science and netted a NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship, which he'll use at Moritz College of Law at Ohio State in the fall.
Cameron leaves Ohio State as the school's all-time leading goal scorer, Furrer was a 2012 London Olympian on the shooting team, Hjelle became just the third Buckeye to earn First Team All-America accolades as a wall of a goalie for the hockey team and Magrum leaves Ohio State with more than 80 wins as a wrestler, but again, more importantly, a four-time Ohio State Scholar Athlete and Big Ten Distinguished Scholar.
Boren, of course, is America's favorite fullbacker, and was one of six members of the undefeated 2012 Ohio State football team to receive undergraduate degrees Sunday. Joining Boren (sports and leisure studies) were: DL Dalton Britt (criminology), FB Adam Homan (exercise science), CB Travis Howard (family resource management), S Orhian Johnson (sports and leisure studies) and LB Ross Oltorik (communications).
Another former player, Mike Collins, a three-year starter on the defensive line and team captain in 2001, graduated with a degree in sociology through the athletic department's degree completion program.
Congratulations to every Buckeye, whether an athlete or not, for completing one of life's big journeys.
Sharing the stage with the graduates, President Gee and trustees was the 44th and current President of the United States, Barack Obama.
Urban got his punter!Obama was among a group of seven honored by Ohio State with an honorary doctorate – in his case a Doctor of Laws. Also honored was photographer Annie Leibovitz (Doctor of Arts). You're probably familiar with her work, whether you realize it or not.
Obama urged the graduates to ignore cynics. "Whenever you hear those voices saying, 'You can't do it,'" he said, "The trajectory of this great nation should give you hope. What young generations have done before you should give you hope."
At one point, Obama even quoted former President George W. Bush's 2002 Ohio State commencement speech, saying, "America needs more than taxpayers, spectators and occasional voters. America needs full-time citizens."
But that all paled next to his real message: Urban Meyer is for real.
"I've been told to advise you to be careful with the turf, Coach Meyer has big plans for this field in the fall." - President Obama.
— Kyle Rowland (@KyleRowland) May 5, 2013
Obama also referred to the University of Michigan as That School Up North and received the applause anyone would get for doing so.
Obama became the third sitting president to speak at an Ohio State graduation: the aforementioned George W. Bush (2002) and Gerald Ford (1974). It's great whenever a sitting president speaks at Ohio State, regardless of his or her politics, but how about we draw the line at the ones that went to Michigan?
[ATTN COMMENTERS: Did you notice how we just presented the facts without passing judgement on Obama's political views (good or bad) or his two terms in office? It would be swell if you could do the same in the comments. Here's our commenting policy if you need a refresher.]
HARDWOOD CAM NEWTON. When the Kansas Jayhawks marched into the Schottenstein Center and clubbed Ohio State six months ago, all anyone wanted to talk about was Ben McLemore. The freshman had his coming out party of sorts, dropping 22 on the Buckeyes in a nationally televised game.
McLemore's stellar play for Kansas led to him declaring for the NBA Draft, where he's expected to be one of the top three players taken next month. Before the draft, however, he'll have to deal with a report from USA Today alleging his AAU coach took money to steer McLemore to agents and financial advisors:
Ben McLemore's former AAU coach says he received thousands of dollars in cash, lodging, meals and trips from a middle man who courted the Kansas player on behalf of sports agents and financial advisers during the 2012-13 college basketball season.
Darius Cobb, a St. Louis-based AAU coach, told USA TODAY Sports that he accepted two cash payments of $5,000 during the regular season from Rodney Blackstock, the founder and CEO of Hooplife Academy, a sports mentoring organization based in Greensboro, N.C.
Cobb says he also received three all-expense paid trips to Los Angeles — and that a cousin of McLemore's, Richard Boyd, accompanied him on two of them — for meetings in January and February with sports agents and financial advisers hoping to represent McLemore if he left for the NBA after his redshirt freshman season at Kansas.
Serious charges in the eyes of the NCAA, but did Kansas know? Not likely. Kansas AD Sheahon Zenger released a statement Saturday night claiming the school was unaware of the relationships between Cobb, Blackstock and the McLemore family. Did McLemore even know? Maybe not. His former coach says he didn't.
Cobb's assertions are a violation of Bylaw 12.3.1.3, prohibiting athletes – and their friends and families – from cashing in. This is pretty much the same charge the NCAA brought against Auburn's Cam Newton in 2010 before dropping the case because it could not prove that Newton was aware of the payments.
Complicating matters for the NCAA here is the fact that McLemore has already declared for the draft and cannot be compelled to speak with the NCAA.
Whatever happens, expect this case to receive about a fifth of the heat a comparable case in the college football world would receive. Because, FOOTBAW.
YOU'LL SOON BE ABLE TO PLAN THAT TRIP TO NYC. Or Washington DC.
The Big Ten may release league schedules for the 2014 and 2015 seasons in the next 30 days, "hopefully sooner." 2014, of course, is the first season Ohio State will begin playing in the Big Ten East division alongside new mates Rutgers and Maryland.
Both trips make attractive destinations for football fans that also like to mix in a bit of sightseeing. New Brunswick is 35 short miles from New York City, meaning you can catch an afternoon game and still make it into Manhattan for dinner. College Park, Maryland, is even closer to DC. You can make the drive in a half hour or take the Metro into town for drinks in DuPont Circle.
Say what you want about the quality of football these two programs will bring to the Big Ten – NYC and DC are substantial upgrades over Champaign and West Lafayette when it comes to doing things away from the game.
THIS IS THE GREATEST PHOTOBOMB EVER. Because it's a Sabanbomb:
Sorry, person taking the photo, you've just been grayshirted.
AND WE THOUGHT BLOOMINGTON HAD OUTLAWED FUN, FOOTLOOSE STYLE. It's not often that you see two cool things from Bloomington in the same Skull Session, but here you go.
First up, the Indiana football team competing in a an informal dunk contest.
That's Dayton product and second team All-B1G wide receiver Cody Latimer throwing down with a GoPro camera attached to his head (which should be required for all dunk contests, really). Quarterback Tre Roberson has some nice hops, too.
If Ohio State held a similar event, who takes home the dunking crown? Has to be Devin Smith, right?
Next up, we have Hoosier forward Christian Watford signing a Natty Light title belt.
Christian Watford of Indiana is so college twitter.com/BestProSports/…
— Life Pro Sports (@BestProSports) May 5, 2013
Hard to hate on a guy that is willing to sign the only belt that really matters.
ETC. Ohio State OL target Jamarco Jones names a top four... Buckeye hoops commit Keita Bates-Diop discusses Ohio State... Brandon Paul's little brother Darius, the reigning MAC freshman of the year, will transfer to Illinois... Notre Dame becomes the latest school to get stadium upgrade fever... Quacklemore... I don't even know what this is... Hotdogception... This bastard.
