Mark Sanchez reveals why he chose USC over Ohio State

Mark Sanchez is revisiting his recruitment. Thinking back to one of the most important decisions of his life, Sanchez revealed why he decided to play for the USC Trojans over the Ohio State Buckeyes.

“I remember going to Ohio State. We’re at The Horseshoe. They put my high school highlight tape on the big screen. They had the band there. I got my Ohio State No. 6 Sanchez jersey and they put Keith Jackson’s voice talking over my highlights … it was awesome,” stated Sanchez. “I was ready to go to Ohio State. I was ready to be a Buckeye. Just tell me where to sign, ya know?

“We went into Coach Tressel’s office, he’s got the sweater vest on, and he said, ‘It’s great. Every year we play Michigan right around Thanksgiving and the last 10 years in a row, it snowed for game day. It’s great football weather.’ And I was like, ‘What?’ I looked at my dad and said, ‘Did he just say that it snowed?’ And I’m like, I’m out on that.”

Evidently, it wasn’t personal — it was just snow. While Sanchez was a fan of everything Ohio State stood for, the threat of trading sunny skies for snow storms was enough for the quarterback to choose the Trojans over the Buckeyes.

Of course, Sanchez would end up having to deal with snow and cold weather after being drafted to the New York Jets at the next level. At times, he weathered the storm well, leading the franchise to two deep playoff runs. Perhaps the quarterback would’ve been fine slinging the football in Columbus.

More on Mark Sanchez, USC Trojans

In three years at USC, Mark Sanchez elevated into one of the top quarterbacks in the nation. During his time as a member of the Trojans, Sanchez passed for 3,965 yards and 41 touchdowns. His final season was one for the books, as he led USC to a Rose Bowl victory, gaining First-team All-Pac-10 honors in the process.

Starting a new era, the New York Jets drafted Sanchez No. 5 overall in the 2009 NFL Draft. Immediately, the former USC star became their starting quarterback. In his first two seasons, Sanchez would lead the Jets to back-to-back AFC Championship Game appearances, but would fall short of the Super Bowl both times.

Still, Sanchez proved he could play in the cold in the process. Heck, the quarterback went to New England and defeated Tom Brady in the post season. If Mark Sanchez chose Ohio State, he would’ve been fine in the football weather Buckeyes faithful loves.