In 10 days Ohio State will play Navy to open the 2014 season. 

Today's featured players are Rex Kern, Art Schlichter, Joe Cooper, Troy Smith and Ryan Shazier.

Go here if you would like to see a list of the 26 players to wear No. 10 since 1933 and those who were selected in the NFL Draft

Kern won two National Championships with Ohio State.

Rex Kern, QB (1968-1970)
Born: 1949 (Lancaster, Ohio)
High School: Lancaster

Ohio State
The Buckeyes were 27-2 with Kern on the team.
1968 National Champion.
1970 National Champion.
1968 Big Ten Title.
1969 Big Ten Title.
1970 Big Ten Title.
1970 Defeated No. 2 USC 27-16 in the Rose Bowl.
Defeated That Team in 1968 (50-14) and 1970 (20-9).

Honors
1970 Captain.
1970 Academic All-Big Ten.
1969 All-American.
1969 Rose Bowl MVP.
1978 Inducted into the Ohio State Athletics Hall of Fame.
2000 Named to the Ohio State All-Century Team.
2007 Inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

Rex Kern came to Ohio State via Lancaster, Ohio. He was a key member of the "Super Sophs" of the 1968 season.

Rex Kern's Ohio State career per The Ohio State Team Guide:

The iconic 1969 Rose Bowl Picture.

With Rex Kern at the helm, Ohio State rolled to a 27-2 record, won the 1968 national championship, captured two Big Ten titles and played in two Rose Bowls. To win the national 
championship, Kern led OSU to a 27-16 win over Southern California in the Rose Bowl. He was named the game’s Most Outstanding Player.

Additionally, the Buckeyes narrowly missed out on the 1969 and ’70 wire service national championships, losing the final game in both of those years after being ranked No. 1 going into their respective season finales.

In 1969, he was named an All-American. In 1970, he was elected team captain. Kern’s statistics, as impressive as they were, tell just half the story. The fiery redhead was an emotional leader 
who displayed a penchant for making big plays when most needed.

He was a winner in every sense of the word. Earning three degrees from Ohio State, he played four seasons in 
the NFL.

He was elected to the Ohio State Athletics Hall of Fame in 1978 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 2007.

Sources- The Ohio State Team Guide

Schlichter's playing career has been overshadowed by Schlichter's criminal behavior.

Art Schlichter, QB (1978-1981)
Born: 1960 (Washington Court House, Ohio)
High School: Miami Trace

Ohio State
​The Buckeyes were 36-11-1 with Schichter on the team.
1979 Big Ten Title.
1981 Big Ten Title.
1981 Defeated Navy 31-28 to win the Liberty Bowl.
1979 Defeated That Team 18-15.
1981 Defeated That Team 14-9.

Honors
1981 Captain.
1981 All-Big Ten.
1979 All-Big Ten.

Schlichter's Ohio State career and life troubles per Wikipedia:

A native of Bloomingburg, Ohio, Schlichter was a star at Miami Trace High School, when his gambling habit began with a visit to Scioto Downs, a harness racing track near Columbus, Ohio.

It remained his favorite track over the years.

Schlichter was a four-year starter at The Ohio State University. He was the last starting quarterback for legendary Buckeyes coach Woody Hayes.

In fact, Schlichter threw the interception that lost the game and led to Hayes' assault on Clemson defensive guard Charlie Bauman in the 1978 Gator Bowl—an act that led to his firing the next day.

Schlichter finished in the top six of Heisman Trophy balloting during his last three years—fourth in his sophomore year, sixth as a junior and fifth in his senior year. He nearly led the Buckeyes to the national championship in 1979, and left the school as its career leader in total offense.

Schlichter finished his four years at OSU with 7,547 passing yards and 50 touchdown passes, with 46 interceptions. He also rushed for 1,303 yards and 35 touchdowns.

Where the downfall began?

During his college career, he was frequently spotted at Scioto Downs with a big-time Ohio gambler. Although the Columbus, Ohio and OSU police departments became suspicious, the athletic department felt it lacked enough evidence to go to the NCAA about the matter.

On several occasions he was seen at the track with Hayes' successor as head coach, Earle Bruce, a fact which helped cover up early problems emerging while Schlichter was at Ohio State."source

The Gambler
Over the years, Schlichter has, by his own count, committed more than 20 felonies. He gambled away much of his NFL, Arena League and radio salaries.

Schlichter and Bruce were seen together at the track.

Whenever he ran low on money to support his gambling, he stole and conned it from friends and strangers, and frequently passed bad checks.

In a 2007 interview for ESPN's Outside the Lines, he estimated that he'd stolen $1.5 million over the years, if not more.

The habit eventually cost him his marriage; his wife left him in 1994 after FBI agents raided their home in Las Vegas in search of money he'd stolen. According to her, Schlichter gambled it away.

On February 9, 2011, reports emerged that Schlichter was under investigation for fraud.

Schlichter was charged with a first-degree felony in connection with the theft of more than $1 million on February 14, 2010.

On September 15, 2011 Schlichter was sentenced to 10 years in state prison for his involvement in a million-dollar ticket scam.

Schlichter was sentenced to spend 10 years and 7 months in federal prison.

While under house arrest awaiting assignment to a state prison, Schlichter tested positive for cocaine while serving a house arrest sentence on federal charges resulting from the same case (and while still on probation from his Indiana sentence) on January 19, 2012.

As a result of the positive drug test, Schlicter was sentenced to 10 years, 7 months in federal prison (up from an original 8 years, 4 months sentence originally agreed to on the fraud case) to be served concurrently with the Ohio sentence, plus $2.2 million in restitution; the Indiana probation was canceled with the federal sentence.

Sources- The Ohio State Team Guide and Wikipedia

Joe Cooper is the only two-time captain to wear No. 10.

Joe Cooper, LB (1998-2001)
Born: 1979 (Columbus)
High School: Independence

Ohio State
​The Buckeyes were 32-16 with Cooper on the team.
1998 Big Ten Title.
1999 Defeated Texas A&M 24-14 to win the Sugar Bowl.
Defeated That Team 31-16 in 1998.
Defeated That Team 26-20 in 2001.

Honors
2001 Captain.
2000 Captain.
2000 voted co-Most Inspirational Player.
2000 All-Big Ten.

Joe Cooper granted a 5th season of eligibility per ohiostatebuckeyes.com:

"I am very happy for Joe Cooper," Jim Tressel, Ohio State head football coach, said. "I think it says a lot about Joe Cooper the person that he has put himself in position to receive his degree from this great institution. I know that when he walks across the stage to receive his diploma, it will be one of the most special days of his life.

"Of course I am happy, too, that Joe will be with us next year as one of our leaders, but the most important thing is that with the additional year of structure here, he will receive his degree."

"I want to thank Ohio State, especially Mr. Geiger and the people in the Student-Athlete Support Services Office, for their help in this matter," Cooper said. "I also want to thank my family for their continued support. They have been there for me every step of the way and I wouldn't be here today without their love and understanding.

Cooper helped the Buckeyes bring Tressel's 2001 prophecy to fruition.

"My four years here have been four of the best years of my life and I am excited about the opportunity to receive my degree and play another year of football."

[...]

He has since played in 36-consecutive games, starting all 12 games this past season at linebacker. Cooper finished the 2000 campaign with 80 tackles, the second highest total on the team. The Buckeye co-captain and co-Most Inspirational Player was named to the All-Big Ten team and landed a third-team spot on the Associated Press All-America team. 

Sources- The Ohio State Team Guide, ohiostatebuckeyes.com and fanbase.com

All of Ohio State's Heisman winners have had their number retired. When will the No. 10 be retired in Smith's honor?

Troy Smith, QB (2003-06)
Born: 1984 (Columbus)
High School: Glenville

Ohio State
​The Buckeyes were 41-9 with Smith on the team.
2005 Big Ten Title.
2006 Big Ten Title.
2004 Defeated No. 8 Kansas State 35-28 to win the Fiesta Bowl.
2004 Defeated Oklahoma State 33-7 to win the Alamo Bowl (was suspended for the game).
2006 Defeated No. 5 Notre Dame 34-20 to win the Fiesta Bowl.
2006 Defeated No. 2 Texas 24-7 in Austin.
Went 3-1 against That Team: 2004 (37-21), 2005 (25-21) and 2006 (42-39).

Honors
2006 Captain.
2006 Heisman Trophy.
2006 Walter Camp Award.
2006 Davey O'Brien Award.
2006 Team MVP.
2006 Sporting News Player of the Year.
2006 AP Player of the Year.
2006 Big Ten MVP.
2006 All-American.
2006 All-Big Ten.
2006 Fiesta Bowl MVP.
2003 Academic All-Big Ten.

Troy Smith's Ohio State career per The Ohio State Team Guide:

Troy Smith may not have been Ohio State’s star recruit in the spring of 2002, but by the end of the 2006 football season there were few Buckeyes with a brighter aura.

A standout quarterback at Cleveland Glenville High School, the 6-0 Smith was renowned for his athletic ability and mental toughness. But his lack of size was a concern for some college recruiters.

Not so for Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel. “The one thing I knew for sure after seeing Troy play in high school was that I wanted him on our team,” Tressel said. “There was something special about the way he carried himself.

“I didn’t know if he was going to play quarterback or some other position, but I knew I wanted him on our side.”
A gifted runner and passer, Smith was redshirted as a freshman in 2002 and saw limited action the following year, appearing in 10 games at slash back and returning kickoffs.

The talented sophomore broke into the 2004 starting lineup in week seven and led the Buckeyes to a 4-1 record down the stretch, including a 37-21 win over Michigan in which he accounted for three touchdowns and 386 yards in total offense.

Defeated Notre Dame 34-20 in the 2006 Fiesta Bowl.

In 2005, Smith guided the Buckeyes to a 10-2 record that included a thrilling come-from-behind victory at Michigan and a decisive win over Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl. Smith threw for 16 touchdowns and rushed for 11 more in his first full season as a starter.

But the Cleveland native saved his best for last, piloting the No. 1
ranked Buckeyes to a 12-0 regular season record and a spot in the national championship game as a senior in 2006. With one remarkable performance after another, he threw for a school single-season record 30 touchdowns and became just the second quarterback in Ohio State history to post a 3-0 record against Michigan as a starter.

Enough said.

In a see-saw 42-39 win over the Wolverines, Smith threw four touchdown passes and topped the 300-yard mark in total offense for the third consecutive year.

Following the regular season, the consensus All-American was a
landslide winner in the Heisman Trophy voting, recording the second largest margin of victory ever in the balloting. In becoming Ohio State’s seventh Heisman winner, Smith, who recorded a 25-3 record as a starter had eliminated any-and-all doubters.

He will enter the Ohio State Athletics Hall of Fame in 2014.

Sources- The Ohio State Team Guide and Wikipedia

Ryan Shazier was is a defensive force.

Ryan Shazier, LB (2011-13)
Born: 1992 (Fort Lauderdale, FL)
High School: Plantation

Ohio State
​The Buckeyes were 30-9 with Shazier on the team.
2012 Big Ten Leaders Title.
2013 Big Ten Leaders Title.
Went 2-1 against That Team: 2012 (26-21) and 2013 (42-42).

Honors
2013 All-American.
2013 All-B1G.
2012 All-B1G.

Ryan Shazier's Ohio State career per ohiostatebuckeyes.com:

Ryan Shazier, a true junior, opted to enter the NFL Draft at the conclusion of his junior season ... he finished his career ranking 15th at Ohio State with 315 total tackles ... ranks sixth all-time in school history in career solo tackles (208) and career tackles-for-loss (44.5) and was on pace to set school records in both had he stayed for his senior season ...

led the team in tackles in 2012 and 2013 to join an elite list of players, including James Laurinaitis, A.J. Hawk, Chris Spielman and Pepper Johnson, to lead the team in tackles in consecutive years ... had 15 games with 10-or-more tackles ...

one of eight players chosen by teammates to represent the team as game captains in 2013 ... pursuing a degree in psychology. 

Junior Season: Ryan was the leader of an Ohio State defense that ranked ninth nationally against the run (109.4) ... named a first-team Associated Press All-American in 2013, a Butkus Award finalist and Bednarik and Lott award semifinalist ...

USA Today, ESPN.com and Sports Illustrated also named Shazier a first-team All-American in 2013 ... he tied Big Ten records with three conference defensive player of the week honors during his junior year and with five for his career ... was twice named the Lott IMPACT Trophy national player of the week ...

ranked third nationally in tackles-for-loss (22.5) and he ranked second nationally in solo tackles with 101 (both totals are third-most in Ohio State history) ... he also lead the Big Ten with 143 total tackles, a figure good for 15th nationally ... had a 20-tackle

performance vs. Indiana that tied school records for solo tackles (16) and tackles-for-loss (5) ... game was first 20-tackle game by a Buckeye since 2004 (A.J. Hawk vs. Wisconsin) ...

season stats also featured six quarterback sacks, six "hurries," four pass break-ups and four forced fumbles. 

Sources- The Ohio State Team Guide

100 days until The Game.