Cade Stover opens up on his bigger impact on Ohio State offense

Cade Stover is off to his best start to a season since joining the Ohio State roster in 2021. Settling into his spot at tight end, he’s been one of the Buckeyes’ most productive offensive weapons in Ryan Day’s offense.

Joining On3’s Andy Staples’ show ahead of Week 8, the junior tight end revealed what has put him in the position to succeed as one of the feature pieces to one of the nation’s top programs.

“It started in the offseason as far as changing my body. I lost close to nine pounds during the offseason,” Stover told Staples. “The strength staff helped me with that and kind of focused on my weak points to be more consistent with the game and mentally aware of what’s going on more. … [Mickey Marotti], that was him. It was his doing. He said it would be beneficial to me and I think that’s come true. I’m looking forward to building on that.”

To Stover’s credit, he’s well on his way to eclipsing the career-best numbers that he set for himself in 2022. Through five appearances this season, he’s 47 yards away from his career-high having hauled in 23 receptions for 359 yards and three touchdowns on the season. In 2022, he caught 36 passes for 406 yards and five touchdowns.

The senior is the second-leading receiver on the team behind Marvin Harrison Jr., but is ahead on the stat sheet than Emeka Egbuka — who, like Harrison Jr., is expected to be an early first-round draft choice in the 2024 NFL Draft — and has been quarterback Kyle McCord‘s safety blanket as a check-down option when the other two aforementioned wideouts aren’t available or open.

Of course, the potential has always been there. Coming out of high school, Stover was a four-star recruit coming out of Lexington High School in Mansfield, OH. Originally recruited as a linebacker, Stover was the No. 14 LB in the 2019 class, per the On3 Industry Ranking, a proprietary algorithm that compiles ratings and rankings from all four primary recruiting media services. He was the No. 114 overall player in the class.

Ohio State will be looking for a breakout performance from Stover this weekend against No. 7 Penn State at home. Kickoff for the blockbuster matchup is scheduled for Noon ET live on Fox. The Buckeyes are 4.5-point favorites, per FanDuel Sportsbook. The over/under total is set at 45.5 points.