There might not be a player on Ohio State's roster that has been through more ups and downs than Tracy Sprinkle.
The Elyria, Ohio native had his college football career nearly come to a stop before it even started as he was arrested, suspended and dismissed from Urban Meyer's Ohio State program in the summer of 2014 after facing multiple charges stemming from a bar fight.
Sprinkle would later be cleared of all drug charges and reinstated to the football program, playing on an Ohio State team that would go on to win the 2014 national title.
His struggles weren't over yet, though. After sitting behind the likes of Adolphus Washington, Tommy Schutt and Joel Hale in 2014 and 2015, Sprinkle finally appeared ready to make his first on-field contributions to the team.
He earned his first career start in the 2016 season opener against Bowling Green, but suffered a season-ending injury against the Falcons, something his position coach Larry Johnson worried he might not come back from.
"Tracy has been tested in his life and what he kept doing is fight back," Johnson said in August. "I have never seen a guy work so hard in rehab to get back to where he is right now. He shouldn't be playing, but he worked so hard to get here."
Through five games this season, Sprinkle has collected 10 total tackles, two for loss and deflected a pass against Rutgers that led to a Dante Booker interception. While his contributions on the field are finally beginning to show, Sprinkle is also making an impact off the field, in the classrooms of Columbus.
Along with fellow defensive lineman Jalyn Holmes, Sprinkle visited Yorktown Middle School, a Columbus City School, to show young boys and girls that live in the inner city that it is possible to make it out of a bad situation.
"Knowing where I come from and the situations I have been through, I know role models are very important," Sprinkle said Tuesday. "Some of those kids in that school might not have a role model or somebody to look up to. Jalyn and I wanted to speak to them and if we can be a role model for them, then do it."
In addition to helping the children, Sprinkle said the visit to Yorktown was a welcome escape from his usual routine as a football player and student.
"It just feels good. You get out of football for a little bit, out of being a student for a little bit and you can just be yourself," Sprinkle said. "Be around the kids, motivate them a little bit, it feels good."
Sprinkle said Ryan Stamper, Ohio State's director of player development, helped set the visit up at Yorktown Middle School. The visit not only helped deliver an important message to a handful of Columbus youth, it also helped Sprinkle bond with a teammate who comes from a similar upbringing.
"You bond a lot. Me and Jalyn come from the same background, and we became really close friends," Sprinkle said. "Going out and doing something like that is humbling for the both of us."
