Buckeyes sending three veteran leaders to Big Ten Media Days
COLUMBUS — Ohio State is officially through the offseason and into the preseason.
Part of those preseason festivities include Big Ten Media Days, which will be held at Lucas Oil Stadium from July 23-25. That event is rapidly approaching, and now the Buckeyes have announced which players will represent the program in Indianapolis.
Three fourth-year stars will be representing the Buckeyes at Big Ten Media Days. Cornerback Denzel Burke, wide receiver Emeka Egbuka and defensive end Jack Sawyer are all back for one more year at Ohio State, and they’ll be in Indy alongside head coach to speak on behalf of the program.
Those three — among others — passed on the NFL to try winning a national title in Columbus while improving their individual draft stocks. Those decisions have turned into sky-high expectations for this program. The players are embracing that.
“Honestly, just make more money,” Burke said when asked this winter why he came back to Ohio State. “You know, I had a first/second round grade. But at the end of the day, I have no go pants, no Big Ten, no natty. So just being able to come back with my brothers, doing it for the state of Ohio and trying to finish the job this year, man. That’s the plan.”
Burke also made sure to set expectations for himself and Ohio State this upcoming season. Burke wants to be the best cornerback in the country, the Thorpe Award winner and a first-round pick.
He’s not backing down from anything this spring.
“It’s definitely ‘Natty or bust,’ man,” Burke said. “That’s our mentality. No excuses, man. We’ve got to win it all; we’ve got to win it all. … We’ve been trying to preach that every single day. Our goal is to go out there every Saturday, hold each other accountable, play hard, and make plays, and turn the ball over.”
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Egbuka is much more soft-spoken in his leadership style than Burke, but he’ll be one of the leaders for this offense. It wouldn’t surprise Lettermen Row if Egbuka is one of the offensive captains for Ohio State this season.
And back to the defensive side of the ball, Sawyer spearheaded the entire movement of third-year players to come back — and there were plenty of them. Sawyer now has his sights set on becoming a captain for the program he grew up idolizing as a kid in nearby Pickerington.
Sawyer hasn’t hid from the idea of being a captain and tone-setter.
“I think I’m definitely taking that leadership role — and same with a lot of us guys who came back,” Sawyer told Lettermen Row in a one-on-one interview after practice in spring. “We know that we have to set the standard. We’ve got to be the guys that set the pace and hold guys accountable and make sure stuff’s going the right way.”
Sawyer will be one of the spokesmen for the program in just days. He’s heading to Big Ten Media Days with Ryan Day, Emeka Egbuka and Denzel Burke to represent Ohio State in Indianapolis.
Lettermen Row will be on sight in Indianapolis for Big Ten Media Days on July 23. Stick to Lettermen Row for full coverage.
