Billy Price said Urban Meyer constantly discusses the opportunity his team has to grow together through the experiences it shares on a daily basis. The majority of the time, that involves football-related activities.
Recently, Price had a chance to bolster his relationship with Raekwon McMillan off the field — in Jamaica.
"I mean, he's from Georgia. I'm from Northeast Ohio, just complete different areas and demographics so I really got to understand him a lot better and the things he's involved in on campus aren't necessarily what I'm involved in, but I got to learn a lot about what he's interested in," Price said Thursday at the Fawcett Center. "The relationship between he and I got a lot better."
McMillan and Price returned from their trip Tuesday night, an expedition as part of the the Soles4Souls initiative that provides shoes to underprivileged communities, specifically children. All 11 student-athletes on the trip learned to appreciate what Americans have and to also not waste time with the opportunity at a free education.
Ohio State puts its athletes in position to do great things, like win national championships. Price and McMillan did that in 2014 and won 12 more games last season. But the majority of that team is gone, either on to the NFL or graduated. What's left is an extremely young and inexperienced group, leaving Price, McMillan, Pat Elflein and J.T. Barrett as the elder statesmen.
Price and McMillan play opposite sides of the ball, so even though they are friends and teammates, they didn't really grow close until their service work in Jamaica.
"I mean, we were close friends and teammates, but I think this trip to Jamaica for Soles4Soles really brought me and Billy even closer together," McMillan said Thursday. "Just me and him being out there sweating, being out there every day in 95-degree weather. Having to get through it together, that really impacted our relationship and as teammates as well."
Both intend to share what they learned in the Caribbean with their teammates. And with such a young roster, any sort of offseason development is welcome.
“I mean, we were close friends and teammates, but I think this trip to Jamaica for Soles4Soles really brought me and Billy even closer together.”– Raekwon McMillan
"Raekwon and I went through a national championship together, we've been growing in a program but now we have the off the field, in a different country experience to really get us a lot closer," Price said. "That's something you can't put a value on."
Price added that normally conversations with teammates outside of the Woody Hayes Athletic Center don't involve football. It is a time to relax and do other things.
That wasn't the case in Jamaica between he and McMillan. As leaders, they talked about doing what they needed to in order to get the most out of their teammates.
"He and I actually talked a lot about ball. We talked a lot about guys on the team, 'hey we should do this with this guy,' or, 'I wish this kid was a little bit better at this,'" Price said. "I think really we were able to demonstrate our leadership qualities within ourselves and really expand ourselves and meet other student-athletes."
Former linebacker and current San Diego Charger Joshua Perry traveled to Costa Rica last summer as part of Soles4Souls. Kyle Dodson, who had his playing career cut short for health reasons, goes to Bolivia in August. Soles4Souls allows leaders of the football program to bring back experiences and teach their teammates how to appreciate the little things.
It all ties into what Meyer preaches about going through experiences and growing together.
"When I went back to the Woody, I'm trying to put a real emphasis on not wasting things," McMillan said. "Like drinking all the way to the end of a bottle but leaving this much water left and throwing it away. That much could have meant a lot to somebody over there in Jamaica. Or anywhere in the world."
Added Price: "Most of the kids that we were giving shoes to it were their first pair in over two years. Kids are wearing shoe sizes that are too small for their feet, their feet are crammed up and you can see that. We complain about 'I want another pair of cleats but have four in my locker.' Those things we were really able to take to the team. Even water bottles. Guys get a water and they throw half of it out. It's like, 'No, finish that.' You take the little things for granted and that's what this trip was able to show us: Don't take anything for granted. Anything."
That type of thinking can only help Ohio State as it plugs through summer workouts in preparations for the 2016 season.
