Scarlet Sunrise: Troy Smith hoping to raise money for NIL programs, awareness for mental health with golf tourney

Good morning, Ohio State fans, and welcome to the Scarlet Sunrise. Football will always be our focus, but every day we’ll cover news, notes and analysis from across Buckeyes sports. Join us each morning to get caught up on everything you missed in the world of Buckeyes football, recruiting, basketball and more in Scarlet Sunrise.

Troy Smith hoping to raise money for NIL programs, awareness for mental health with golf tourney

Ohio State legend, and Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback, Troy Smith is putting on a celebrity golf scramble with a dual purpose: to raise money for Buckeyes NIL programs and to raise awareness for mental health.

The Troy Smith Celebrity Golf Scramble will take place on August 12 at The Golf Club at Little Turtle in Westerville, Ohio.

A portion of the proceeds will go toward former Ohio State offensive lineman Harry Miller’s mental health non-profit, “Don’t Make It Weird.” Miller medically retired from football in March 2022 while dealing with his own mental health battle and has since become an advocate in that space.

A 2023 graduate of Ohio State, Miller now travels the country spreading mental health awareness and aiming to get rid of the stigma around the topic. He was recognized in the halls of the United States Capitol Building last year while attending the State of the Union Address as a guest of First Lady Jill Biden. He’s spent additional time in Washington, D.C., supporting the TEAMS Act, legislation that requires coaches to be educated and trained on signs and symptoms of mental illness.

Smith’s golf tournament will lend a philanthropic hand to Miller’s effort. It will also help Ohio State’s NIL programs, with a particular emphasis on assisting Ohio State O-Linemen in becoming brand ambassadors for local companies. THE Foundation, one of the biggest collectives associated with Ohio State NIL revenue, is shown on the event’s site.

Former Texas running back Ricky Williams and former Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel — both Heisman winners — will attend the event, as will former Ohio State stars Ted Ginn Jr. and Braxton Miller.

Below is important event registration and schedule information:

SCHEDULE

• 8 a.m. – Registration opens
• 9 a.m. – Warm-ups / Breakfast / Putting and chipping contests
• 10:45 a.m. – Ricky Williams introduction, call to carts
• 11 a.m. – Start of the scramble
• 12 p.m. – Lunch served on the course
• 4:30 p.m. Award ceremony and live auction
• 5 p.m. – Post-event happy hour

COST

• Single Golfer: $1,000
• Two Golfers: $2,000
• Three Golfers: $3,000
• Four Golfers: $4,000
• Celebrity guest as your fourth golfer: $6,000
• Troy Smith as your fourth golfer: $7,500

What We Learned about Ohio State from spring transfer window

Ohio State lost only six players to the portal during the spring transfer window, as opposed to the 18 Buckeyes players who hit the portal during the winter transfer window.

Meanwhile, head coach Ryan Day and his staff have yet to add any players from the portal since the conclusion of the spring game.

Lettermen Row is breaking down what we learned about Ohio State from the spring window, including something very important about the quarterback room.

Check it out here.

Making early prediction on Buckeyes offensive, defensive MVPs this season

It’s still only May, but the summer is approaching, and that means the excitement around the upcoming Ohio State season is building.

With that in mind, Lettermen Row is floating out some early predictions for Buckeyes offensive and defensive MVPs in 2024.

There are an abundance of candidates, but we settled on just a few players.

Get those picks here.

Counting Down

Buckeyes vs. Akron: 123 days
Buckeyes vs. Michigan: 214 days

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