Talking season was in full swing on Wednesday.
Three Ohio State players represented the Buckeyes at Big Ten Media Days on Wednesday at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis: Marvin Harrison Jr., Cade Stover and J.T. Tuimoloau.
The trio talked about how important it is for the Buckeyes to turn things around against Michigan this season, how they‘re looking to build upon their performance from last season and which young players they’ve seen step up this offseason.
We've compiled the highlights below of what they had to say from their interview sessions Wednesday.
Marvin Harrison Jr.
- Harrison wore a blue tie with blue and white shoes to pay homage to his father’s career with the Indianapolis Colts and “just to have some style as well.”
- Asked what he can do to make life easier for Ohio State’s new starting quarterback, Harrison said the number one thing is “They need to trust me ... If they can trust that 18’s gonna get open, he’s gonna catch the ball, I think that goes a long way for them.”
- Harrison says his biggest goals for this season are to beat “the team up north” and to win the Big Ten championship because he hasn’t accomplished either of those goals. He doesn‘t want to leave Ohio State without a pair of Gold Pants or a championship ring.
- Harrison believes his biggest improvement this offseason has been off the field and how he takes his care of his body. “Going into this year, I just want to stay as healthy as possible.”
- Harrison said the best defensive back he played last year was Maryland cornerback Deonte Banks, a first-round pick in the 2023 NFL draft.
- Harrison said Mickey Marotti has been pushing him to be more of a vocal leader. He’s more of a quiet guy who prefers to lead by example, but Marotti has been encouraging him to speak in front of the team after workouts.
- Asked if he enjoys the spotlight of being one of the best players in the country, Harrison said he doesn’t. He’d prefer to just play football, but he has learned to embrace the spotlight because of the NIL opportunities that come with it.
- Harrison said he has seen Kyle McCord step into a leadership role this offseason now that he’s competing for the starting quarterback job.
- Harrison said he sees a lot of himself, Emeka Egbuka and Jayden Ballard in the new class of freshman receivers with how hard they work. “They're actually taking up my time on the Seeker (pass-catching machine).”
- Harrison said Carnell Tate is “a very strong individual” who has continued to come to practice with a smile on his face even after his mother’s death earlier this month. “I’m sure he's going through so much right now that I couldn't even imagine, so I have much respect for him and how he's handled his business. He’s doing great, and we just try to do the best we can to be there for him.”
- Brandon Inniss’ confidence has stood out to Harrison. “He's ultra-confident. He believes he can do anything on that field no matter what's asked of him.” Harrison says he thinks Inniss is the “perfect fit” to follow in Egbuka and Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s footsteps at slot receiver.
- Harrison said he played slot receiver during the spring to work on broadening his skill set. He expects to move around more this year than he did last year as Ohio State looks to combat defenses focusing their attention on him.
- Harrison said he isn’t focused on trying to win the Heisman Trophy or be a top NFL draft pick. “I just worry about winning the games, man. That’s all that really matters.”
- Asked what Ohio State is missing to be a national champion, Harrison said “I don’t think we‘re missing anything. I think we have the talent. We have the coaching staff, we have everything that we need to be successful this year. But like I said, it’s gonna come down to the players executing on the field.”
JT Tuimoloau
- Tuimoloau said he’s “excited” to begin fall camp next week and compete with his teammates to begin their preparation for Week 1 against Indiana.
- Tuimoloau said it takes a “lot of mental strength” to be a consistent starter at the Big Ten level and added it’s essential to take care of your body considering the wear and tear it goes through over the course of a season.
- Reflecting on his first year at OSU, Tuimoloau said he was “thrown into the fire” because he came to campus a week before fall camp started. He was thankful to have older veteran teammates to lean on and learn from in his first season, but he said his sophomore year was the year it all clicked for him when he realized “I want to start, I want to have this mentality of ‘I want this job, but I also I know I’m going to work for it.’ I think that’s when I realized I could be a starter.”
- Tuimoloau said a lot of knowledge of the game is required to start at defensive end because he needs to be aware of what other players’ responsibilities are on the defensive line.
- On being a leader, Tuimoloau says "once you accept that role, there's a lot that comes with it. No matter if you have great days or low days, you always have to be a leader. That's one thing I learned about being a leader. But having your family behind you makes it easier."
- After his dominating performance against Penn State last year, Tuimoloau said he re-watched the game when he got home so he could see what it looked like on TV because he "blacked out" while it was happening.
- Following his re-watch of that game, Tuimoloau said he wanted to "be more consistent" moving forward and "continue to have that mindset and string games together to make it more fluid."
Cade Stover
- Stover says farming with his dad is “really special” and is “what wakes me up in the morning.” Stover hopes to “come back and expand” on his father’s farming efforts one day in the future. Stover says he’s used opportunities he’s received from his football career to help his family farm.
- Stover says new Ohio State tight ends coach Keenan Bailey is “unbelievable. … I can’t even begin to tell you how much that guy really has done for me. That’s a guy I’d go to war with every day of the week.” Stover said Bailey is always “right there with you” on the field. Stover says Bailey purposely puts him in “uncomfortable” positions a lot in practice so that he can become comfortable in those areas.
- On being selected as one of Ohio State’s three Big Ten Media Days representatives, Stover jokes, “I wasn’t thrilled about coming here, I’m not gonna lie to you.” Stover says all he cares about is being able to represent a “great group of dudes” that he would “go to war” for.
- On Ohio State freshman tight end Jelani Thurman, Stover says “I think he could be a really good player one day if he sticks to what he should be doing and does the right stuff on and off the field.”
- Asked how much he makes in NIL, Stover says “I’d rather get paid in tractors, to be honest with you.” Stover says “The last thing kids should be worried about is NIL.” Stover says players should be focused on getting better every day and practicing against the best and that if they’re too concerned about NIL, they’re “in it for the wrong reason.”
- Stover says his main motivation for returning to Ohio State this season is “winning every single game and doing it with a chip on our shoulder.” Stover says the veteran Buckeyes are placing more of an emphasis on taking care of their bodies so they aren’t as banged up late in the season.
- Stover says his ideal endorsement would be a company that sent specific farm equipment to him whenever he needed it.
- On sports betting in college sports, Stover says “it’s not worth it” and “you’re better off just keeping your nose clean because once you get that rep, you’re not gonna outlive that.”
- On Michigan: “I don’t pay any attention to who favors us or who’s not. Because they gotta put the ball down and play anyway. Last two years, they got us. Plain and simple. I gotta wear that on my chest. Have to, there’s no choice. You wear it on your chest like a man and that’s fine, but at the end of the day you gotta put the ball down and play. … I know we’re gonna be ready to play this year.”
- Stover picked Sonny Styles as a player he expects to break out for the Buckeyes this season. Why? “Because he’s freaky ... No, he's just really good. A really good person who works hard and does what he should do.”
