Just a day after finding out he would be eligible to play this season for Ohio State, Palaie Gaoteote saw his first snaps for the Buckeyes on Saturday.
The USC transfer linebacker had been paying his own way at Ohio State since joining the program in the summer due to an ongoing eligibility issue with the NCAA, but Gaoteote's waiver was officially cleared on Friday afternoon.
It took just one quarter before Al Washington and Kerry Coombs decided to utilize Gaoteote's talents, as the Bishop Gorman product saw his first snap on a second quarter third-and-8 with the Ducks backed up on their own goal line.
The No. 15 overall player in the class of 2018, Gaoteote made an immediate impact as a true freshman, tallying 38 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and two sacks. He was limited by an ankle injury in 2019, but still had 58 tackles and three tackles for loss in eight games. Gaoteote missed time with a concussion in 2020, playing just two games before electing to enter the transfer portal in December.
Ohio State head coach Ryan Day first confirmed that Gaoteote had joined the Buckeye program at Big Ten Media Days in July, but did not disclose details about his eligibility issue. Day said during preseason camp that Gaoteote would not receive reps with the first and second-string units while his eligibility was up in the air, but the former Trojan worked his way into the mix by the end of camp.
The Buckeyes trail Oregon 14-7 at halftime in Columbus.
