All-American Ohio State lineman declares for NFL Draft

Wyatt Davis had two seasons of eligibility remaining

Ohio State Buckeyes offensive lineman Wyatt Davis announced Friday he will start preparing for the 2021 NFL Draft, citing the uncertainty of the times as he opted out of the college football season.

“I should be in the middle of preparing for our game this week," Davis wrote. “Instead, due to the events of 2020, I spent the last weeks with my family and coaching staff trying to determine my future. On the one hand, playing at The Ohio State has been the experience of a lifetime. On the other, my childhood dream is to play in the NFL.”

Davis, the grandson of Pro Football Hall of Famer Willie Davis, who died in the spring, started all 14 games last season as a redshirt sophomore. He earned first-team All-America honors from the Associated Press, CBS Sports and The Sporting News.

“I am deeply saddened my time as a Buckeye has been cut short,” Davis wrote, “but promise that my contributions to The Ohio State University are just getting started. I am committed to earning my degree from The Ohio State and making Buckeye Nation as proud of me as an alumnus as I hopefully did as a player. I am forever proud to be an Ohio State Buckeye.”

The decision by Davis, the first Buckeye to opt out of the season, came one day after coach Ryan Day released a statement critical of the Big Ten’s decision to postpone the season.

After redshirting as a freshman in 2017, Davis appeared in all 14 games in 2018, starting the last two. He had two seasons of eligibility remaining.

“Buckeye for life!” Davis wrote on Twitter. “Cannot thank Buckeye Nation enough for the support the past 3 years. Words can’t explain how much I will miss playing in the shoe!”

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