Shaun Wade is heading to the NFL.
The fourth-year Buckeye and second-year starter has elected to enter the 2021 draft, announcing via social media on Friday that he is going pro.
Thank you Buckeye Nation!! pic.twitter.com/4jdX3V3g4m
— Shaun Wade (@shaunwade24) January 15, 2021
It comes as no surprise that the Ohio State cornerback has decided to officially head to the league. After exploring the possibility of going pro following his third season, Wade returned for his redshirt junior year looking to increase his draft stock and win a national championship.
Wade earned third-team All-Big Ten honors as a first-year starter in 2019, lining up as a slot cornerback for the Buckeyes. He moved to the outside for the 2020 season and entered the fall as a first-team All-American by the Associated Press.
Wade struggled throughout the season in his first collegiate year as an outside corner. That included getting beat all night by DeVonta Smith in the national championship game, an up-and-down Sugar Bowl performance against Clemson and a pair of touchdowns surrendered to Penn State's Jahan Dotson in Week 2.
But Wade still earned a nod as a consensus All-American, in voting that was wrapped up prior to the College Football Playoff. He was named a first-team All-American by both the Associated Press and Sporting News and made the second-team list for the Football Writers Association of America.
Those All-American honors, though, are unlikely to improve his draft stock, as he has slid from a likely first-round draft pick to a second-rounder in most mock drafts.
Wade, who had said after the national championship game that he would consider coming back but ultimately decided it was time to go pro, becomes the first Buckeye underclassman to officially announce he is entering the 2021 NFL draft. The deadline for underclassmen to declare for the draft is Monday.
