We're counting down the days to kickoff with “99 Warriors,” the greatest Ohio State Buckeyes by jersey number, as voted by the staff of Eleven Warriors.
No. 54 Billy Price
A four-star prospect from Austintown Fitch, Billy Price actually began his career at Ohio State as a defensive tackle. He urged head coach Urban Meyer to let him switch positions, and ended up becoming one of the most productive offensive linemen in program history.
C Billy Price
2013-17
b. Oct. 12, 1995 (Austintown, OH)
- Rimington Trophy (2017)
- Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year (2017)
- All-American (2016-17)
- All-Big Ten (2015-17)
- National Champion (2014)
- Big Ten Champion (2014, 2017)
The 6-foot-4, 312-pound Price quickly adapted to the offensive line and started all 15 games (three at left guard and the next 12 at right guard) as a redshirt freshman, helping the Buckeyes to the 2015 College Football Playoff National Championship. He then started every game as a redshirt sophomore and garnered third-team All-Big Ten honors that season.
Price was named a team-captain and first-team All-American by the American Football Coaches Association and second-team by the Associated Press, Fox Sports, The Sporting News, Sports Illustrated and Walter Camp as a redshirt junior. He also collected first-team All-Big Ten honors by leading Ohio State back to the playoff.
Price slid over to center ahead of his senior season with Pat Elflein’s departure for the NFL and won the Rimington Trophy, which is handed out to the nation’s best center. It marked the first time in the award’s 19-year history that one school has produced back-to-back winners. He was also named a consensus first-team All-American, the Big Ten’s offensive lineman of the year and first-team all-conference.
Price finished his career tied with former defensive end Tyquan Lewis as the program’s all-time leader in games played with 55. He started every game of his career, which also broke former linebacker and current Cincinnati Bearcats head coach Luke Fickell’s school record for consecutive starts.
"I think as long as I'm around Ohio State, I'll make sure that that guy is treated with legendary status because he's done everything I've ever asked of him, and that includes his off-the-field, his leadership when times are tough,” Meyer said last season. "I'm deeply indebted to Billy. Billy's going to be a lifelong friend and he'll be a Buckeye for the rest of his life, obviously.”
Though he suffered an incomplete tear of his left pectoral muscle during workouts at the NFL Combine, Price was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals with the 21st overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, making him the second Ohio State offensive lineman in the last three years to be taken in the first round (Taylor Decker, No. 16 overall by the Detroit Lions in 2016). He was fully cleared to resume football activities last month and is expected to start at center as a rookie.
