Shaun Wade and Wyatt Davis will both be on the field when Ohio State finally opens its season on Saturday, but for a brief point in time, it looked as though their Ohio State careers would be over before this season ever began.
After weeks of holding out and hoping that the Big Ten would reverse its decision and reinstate the fall football season, Davis announced on Sept. 11 that he was leaving Ohio State to begin preparing for his professional football career and declare for the 2021 NFL draft. Wade followed suit three days later.
But then finally, two days after Wade's announcement, the Big Ten announced that it would play football this fall, beginning Oct. 24. And within two days of that announcement, both Davis and Wade announced they were opting back into the 2020 season for another chance to play for the Buckeyes and compete for a national championship.
In the second episode of Ohio State's new “Voices” video series, both players reflected on the decisions that they initially made to leave and then ultimately made to return once the fall season was reinstated.
A few quotes from the video, which you can watch in full above:
- Davis: “Me personally, I didn't want to opt out early in the season, just because I felt like there was hope ... Truly for me, being able to get back out there with the guys, it just feels good.”
- Fellow Ohio State offensive lineman Josh Myers on Davis' decision: “It was hard to watch him have to go through that process, because I know it's not what he wanted to do. His heart was really in it and really wanted to play another season and watching him have to decide on his future like that was really hard. I know it took a big toll on him.”
- Wade: “I talked to my dad, and he was saying how much we as a unit, as Ohio State, have put into just getting this season ready.”
