ESPN UPDATE: He doesn’t come to the Buckeyes expecting to start right away, but now he is the savior….read more.
The football squad from Ohio State adds much-needed depth at safety.
Keenan Nelson, a transfer from South Carolina, has strengthened the safety position for the Ohio State football team. The question now is, how does the former Gamecock fit in with his new club?
This much is almost certain: Nelson will not be a starting player right away. Jordan Hancock, Lathan Ransom, and Caleb Downs have already secured their starting positions, thus Nelson will add much-needed depth to a team that had just five scholarship players prior to Nelson’s decision to enroll in OSU.
During his two seasons with the Gamecocks, he did make four starts, one of which came against Notre Dame in the 2022 Gator Bowl. However, he still has three years of eligibility left, therefore in my opinion, he is more suitable to be developed into a starter in the future.
He is a high school cornerback who can play in the slot; South Carolina has occasionally employed him in this capacity. Does this imply that if Jordan Hancock is knocked out, he will be the first man up? I don’t think so because the Buckeyes have a few players that can fill in as slot receiver.
Nelson’s influence on the Buckeyes this season will probably be felt on special teams. He blocked a punt last season against Vanderbilt and returned it for a touchdown. Additionally, he demonstrated that he was a highly capable and willing blocker for South Carolina’s return units. He will definitely be noticeable on the Buckeyes’ special teams, in my opinion.
Right now, Nelson appears to be virtually a perfect fit for Ryan Day’s curriculum. He doesn’t come to the Buckeyes expecting to start right away because he wasn’t a consistent starter in his first two seasons at South Carolina.
He is joining to give a unit that has unexpectedly found itself lacking in depth. Although his signing won’t have a significant impact on college football right away, the Buckeyes should consider it a worthwhile investment in the long run.
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Trending: Ohio State Football Supporters Respond to Their Team’s Exclusion in the Trending College Football 25 Game Trailer – 2024 Offseason Report
Since 2013, the Ohio State football program has qualified for a New Year’s Six bowl game each season, maintaining its status as one of the top three programs in the sport along with Alabama and Georgia. After a ten-year break, EA Sports’ College Football video game is almost back, allowing fans—including Ohio State supporters—to finally take charge of their preferred squad and build a club that will contend for championships for years to come. The first trailer for the game, which included footage of Notre Dame, Alabama, Michigan, and Georgia among other teams, was released by EA on Friday. Nevertheless, there was nothing akin to a highlight for the Ohio State football program—a squad that won double-digit games in 2023—in the game’s debut trailer.
It’s easy to say that during EA’s historic trailer release for the Buckeyes’ college football game on Friday, fans of the team felt ignored. In the roughly two-minute video, Ohio State made two brief cameos, with Michigan Wolverines rusher Donovan Edwards stiff-arming one of the defenders. The Buckeyes are defeated 52-42 by the Illinois Fighting Illini in a different video at the same moment. It was only natural for Ohio State football supporters to feel let down by EA, especially considering that features were awarded to teams like Army, Wake Forest, Boise State, Colorado, and Wisconsin.
Ohio State football fans expressed disappointment and frustration in response to the EA Sports College Football 25 trailer.
Fans of Ohio State football were offended by EA Sports’ College Football 25 video on Friday, particularly by the way the gaming giant represented the Buckeyes in the clip’s brief running time. The teaser showed Donavan Edwards, the top rusher for Michigan, forcing an Ohio State defender to the ground with a stiff arm. The worst, though, was when a video appeared showing the Illinois Fighting Illini celebrating their victory over Ohio State during a shootout. Ohio State was last defeated by Illinois in November 2007.
Soon after, Ohio State football supporters expressed their annoyance with EA’s creative team on Twitter, popularly known as X. The Buckeyes did not receive a glowing homage in Friday’s trailer drop, despite finishing in the top 15 of the AP Poll every season since 2013.
