Ohio State will have seven team captains in 2020.
Fifth-year senior linebacker Tuf Borland and defensive end Jonathon Cooper are joined by redshirt junior right guard Wyatt Davis, junior quarterback Justin Fields, sixth-year senior linebacker Justin Hilliard, redshirt junior center Josh Myers and redshirt junior cornerback Shaun Wade as Ohio State's team captains for the 2020 season.
The captains of the 2020 Ohio State Buckeyes football program.@wyattdavis53@Tuf_Borland@WadeShaun2017@JHilliard47@justnfields@JonathonCooper7@josh_myers71#GoBuckeyes pic.twitter.com/ZvSDvThZdc
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) August 4, 2020
Borland joins former Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett, who was a captain for the Buckeyes from 2015-17, as the second three-time captain in school history. The leader of the Buckeyes' defense from his middle linebacker position, Borland has started 34 games in his career, the most of any Ohio State player entering the 2020 season.
Just the second 3-time captain in Ohio State HISTORY.
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) August 5, 2020
Listen in as @Tuf_Borland gets to reflect on that feat with @CoachWash56 & his parents, Jeny & Kyle.#GoBuckeyes #H2 pic.twitter.com/vfgHw0Kbte
Cooper, who is back for an unexpected fifth year after redshirting last season with an ankle injury, is also a returning captain from last season. He has played in 37 games with 17 career starts and will be expected to lead Ohio State's defensive line following the departures of Chase Young and three fifth-year senior defensive tackles from last season.
Wide receiver C.J. Saunders, who was also set to be a returning captain, was denied his sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA and will now be joining the Buckeyes' coaching staff in some capacity.
Davis, Fields, Hilliard, Myers and Wade are all first-time captains.
Myers and Davis both emerged as leaders on the Buckeyes’ offensive line as first-year starters last season and will now be expected to be even bigger leaders for the entire team.
Call him Captain Wyatt!
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) August 5, 2020
After being named a captain, @wyattdavis53 got to share the big news with his parents back home in California.#GoBuckeyes pic.twitter.com/bJsyhYEUSO
Fields became an immediate leader as Ohio State's starting quarterback last season, and is undeniably the face of the program after he earned Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year honors and an invitation to the Heisman ceremony in 2019.
Wade, who is moving to outside cornerback after starting at slot cornerback last year, is the Buckeyes' biggest star on defense, and he'll be expected to take on a leading role for the entire secondary this year as the only returning starter at either cornerback or safety.
.@shaunwade24 made a decision to return to Ohio State.
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) August 5, 2020
Today, he was voted a captain and got the tell his mom that his decision paid off.#GoBuckeyes #BIA pic.twitter.com/osSsLtxjok
Hilliard, the longest-tenured player on the entire roster, is highly respected within the Woody Hayes Athletic Center for how he has persevered through a multitude of injuries in his Ohio State career. Although he has been only a role player for Ohio State's defense so far in his career, he'll be a team leader regardless of how much he sees the field in 2020.
.@JHilliard47 has been through a lot.
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) August 4, 2020
The moment he got to call his dad to tell him hed been voted captain made it all worth it.#GoBuckeyes #H2 pic.twitter.com/WyRXRpdDoC
Ohio State has now had exactly seven captains in four out of five seasons dating back to 2016.
