A group of Ohio State football players spent their afternoon at the CareSource Football ProCamp on Friday.
As a part of their partnership with The 1870 Society, offensive linemen Josh Fryar, Jakob James, Tegra Tshabola and Enokk Vimahi, defensive end JT Tuimoloau, safeties Cameron Martinez and Cedrick Hawkins and two of Ohio State’s summer transfer additions – former Notre Dame cornerback Lorenzo Styles Jr. and former Ole Miss defensive tackle Tywone Malone – were all on the outdoor fields at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center helping coach a group of 250 elementary and middle school children who were at Ohio State’s football facility on Friday for a free afternoon of football and fun.
Eleven Warriors was on hand to talk to those players not only about the camp but also about how Ohio State’s summer workouts have gone, what each of them has been working toward this offseason and their expectations going into 2023.
Styles and Malone spoke for the first time since they arrived in Columbus about why they chose to transfer to Ohio State, with Styles saying he didn’t make that decision until after he entered the portal even though his younger brother Sonny already played for the Buckeyes.
“I knew I wanted to play corner, and then when the opportunity came, I was like it would be amazing to play with my brother in Ohio,” Styles said.
Malone said his decision to become a Buckeye was driven by his relationships with Ohio State defensive line coach Larry Johnson and head coach Ryan Day, which dated back to when Malone was a high school recruit.
“They’ve been hard on me since high school, so I knew since I hit the portal, they hit my phone, I just knew it was the right place for me,” Malone said.
Fryar, James and Tshabola – who are competing to start at left tackle, center and right tackle, respectively – talked about why they’re confident they can win those jobs and why they’re confident Ohio State’s offensive line as a whole will be ready to get the job done when the season begins in September.
“I think we're all ready to go out and play football again,” Fryar said. “It's been a long time.”
Martinez talked about his desire to prove himself in his fourth year at Ohio State and make a bigger impact on the Buckeyes’ defense as they look to bounce back from their disappointing end to last season and become one of the top defenses in the country this year.
“I think last year I didn't really play up to the standard I wanted to. Wasn't healthy at all either,” Martinez said. “I think it's just my chance to prove, just make all those things right, this year.”
Hawkins discussed the challenges of his first summer workouts as a Buckeye and what he’s already learned at Ohio State in less than two months, and former Ohio State safety Tyvis Powell made a cameo to talk about what Buckeye fans should expect from Hawkins.
“Ballhawk, playmaker, guy that you can depend on in the secondary to make plays,” Powell said. “This guy's up next man. I'm gonna talk to him, I’m gonna be with him every step of the way to make sure that this dude is the next Buckeye great safety right here.”
Tuimoloau, who will meet with the media again in five days when he participates in Big Ten Media Days in Indianapolis, talked about how he’s grown as a leader this offseason and about the value of participating in Friday’s event.
“To have us out here as a collective unit, giving back and showing our face and showing our real selves outside of football; man, it's great,” Tuimoloau said.
