Scarlet Sunrise: Two unheralded Ohio State standouts announce return
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Mitch Rossi back for a sixth year with Ohio State
Mitch Rossi began his Ohio State as a walk-on when he signed in the 2018 recruiting class.
But Rossi earned a full-ride scholarship this past August in his fifth year of eligibility. And now, the unheralded but key aspect of the Ohio State offense has announced that he will be playing with the Buckeyes for a sixth year.
“One more go round y’all,” Rossi posted on Twitter.
Rossi is listed as a tight end and often lines up at fullback for the Buckeyes. Rossi scored his first career touchdown at Ohio State against Rutgers in October, and he figures to be featured in the Buckeyes offense again during the upcoming season.
Noah Ruggles returning to Buckeyes
Noah Ruggles seemingly emerged from nowhere to give Ohio State one of the nation’s best kickers for a season.
Now he’s publicly confirmed that he is going to give the Buckeyes a second one.
After his lengthy stint in the transfer portal following his departure from North Carolina ended with a somewhat surprising opportunity at Ohio State, Ruggles made made the most of it by becoming one of the most accurate field-goal specialists in the nation. And while he was waving goodbye to Utah after his game-winning attempt in the Rose Bowl, he officially confirmed on Friday the expected news of his return for one more season with the Buckeyes.
“Just want to thank Buckeye Nation for supporting me and making Columbus feel like home,” Ruggles posted on Twitter. “After long discussion and thought with my family, I have decided to declare for the 2023 draft.
“Run it back.”
ICYMI: How Dawand Jones returning can give Buckeyes big boost
Dawand Jones fired up the last regular-season film of the Ohio State season for two reasons. First, the Buckeyes right tackle needed to know just what went wrong in The Game and what corrections had to be made before the Rose Bowl.
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Beyond that, Jones may have already been leaning towards a return to Ohio State next season, but the matchup against Michigan was also going to play a part in helping him figure out if how he measured up against NFL-caliber competition.
The verdict was somewhat split for Jones. The rising senior didn’t see quite as many breakdowns as he might have expected. But he also didn’t see a right tackle that was ready for the jump to the next level — which is one key reason he confirmed on Monday night that he will be back for one more year with the Buckeyes.
Read: How Dawand Jones returning can give senior, Buckeyes massive boost
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