Getting shot in the face is not much fun at all. Neither is finding out that you are a quadriplegic who's paralyzed from the shoulders down as a result of such a malicious occurrence. However, that's the exact situation I dealt with after a friend and I haphazardly mishandled a small pistol when I was just two months shy of fifteen years old. The bullet traveled through my right cheek and into my C-4 vertebrae, stripping me of my ability to walk, talk, move my arms, and breathe effectively. The road I traveled immediately thereafter was one of many challenges, heartache, pain, depression, and sicknesses all wrapped up in one.  

However, over the years I have developed a new ability to be appreciative of the little things in life, and I have gained a knack for finding the positive in negative situations. For instance, I am a member of a group on Facebook called, “College Football Smack Talk,” and one thing that I noticed there from the get-go is that there are a lot of people who simply love to hate on Ohio State football. Being a Buckeye fan through and through, I thought it was a bad thing at first. Why would I want to be a part of a group that consisted of so many members that hated something that I loved?  

Then I realized that, for the Ohio State football program’s sake, it must be a good thing. Think about it. No one hates teams because they suck. They hate them because they can’t stand to see them win and be talked about all of the time. One person went on a rant in the group, saying that they can’t stand seeing talentless teams like Ohio State being talked about all of the time. I had to interject.

Talentless? Folks, outside of Alabama, Ohio State puts as many players into the NFL as any school in the country. So, I googled “Buckeyes in the NFL.” The first thing that came up was an article that mentioned the handful of former Buckeyes that were playing in Super Bowl XVI alone. As I continued to do my research, I couldn’t help but let my mind wander. What if the NFL formed a team that consisted of nothing but former Ohio State players? 

Before I get started, let’s go over the criteria that I used to define former Ohio State players. A former Ohio State player is someone who was on Ohio State’s active roster for at least two years and/or a scholarship player that got their degree from Ohio State University during their time there. It’s the same criteria that I used in an article that I wrote, entitled, “What If Urban Meyer Built an NFL Team of His Former Players?” 

So, let’s evaluate what kind of team we could put together by using former Buckeyes. Could it win the Super Bowl? 

Quarterback

Starter – Joe Burrow 

Backup – Justin Fields  

Storyline: I am well aware that Joe Burrow played a minimal role in Ohio State’s offense during his tenure as a Buckeye, going 29 of 39 for 287 yards and 2 TD, and rushing for 53 yards and a TD on 15 rushing attempts. However, in just three years in Columbus, he spent two of them as a backup to veteran J.T. Barrett and he graduated with a degree in consumer and family financial services. 

With his degree, he'll be a Buckeye for life, regardless of what alma mater he claims.