The Weekender: Ted Ginn Jr. Earns First Win with Columbus Aviators, Kyle Snyder Interested In Wrestling Khamzat Chimaev and Chaos at Virginia Tech Spring Game

By George Eisner on April 19, 2026 at 2:45 pm
Columbus Aviators head coach and former Ohio State wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr.
Samantha Madar, Columbus Dispatch — USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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Own the group chat with The Weekender, highlighting the biggest stories in college sports, standout writing from Eleven Warriors, and a glance at what's next.

Ted Ginn Jr. Bounces Back with First Win

It's never easy watching your heroes let you down. That was something many Ohio State fans and myself had to deal with last week when the news broke that my favorite Ohio State football player of all-time — Ted Ginn Jr. — had been arrested on a DWI misdemeanor the night before he was set to coach his third game for the Columbus Aviators.

Ginn Jr. has held permanent residence in my Buckeye fan brain since sixth grade when I made watching this YouTube video a regular part of my daily routine. The May 30th, 2006 publishing timestamp backs up that statement.

So you can imagine how disappointed my inner child was to hear this man that I watched move on the football field as if he were playing a different sport — because, as a track star, he was — had maneuvered himself into such a difficult position. Ginn Jr. was already one of the most beloved Buckeyes of his era even before he assumed an even greater spotlight as a leader of men for one of the teams in an up-and-coming sports league. This moment of weakness the night before the team he leads would fall to 0-3 without him present due to his actions had the potential to do serious damage to his legacy.

Would he take accountability? Or would he fall into the same pattern of his college teammate that dealt with his own impaired driving saga less than a year ago?

In the Eleven Warriors article detailing last month's court proceedings, Chase Brown noted that legal records show Kirk Barton had prior traffic violations dating back to 2010 that included multiple OVI charges that either ultimately became dismissed or reduced. On the night of Barton's vehicular homicide incident, his blood alcohol level was greater than three times the legal limit.

Ginn Jr. addressed his arrest publicly last Sunday on his social media less than 36 hours after his arrest. He received a Class B misdemeanor charge for driving while intoxicated, but was released after posting $1,000 bond.

The Aviators lost their visit to Frisco, Texas by a final score of 28-23 to the Dallas Renegades while Ginn Jr. remained absent from the team. Now winless and facing the undefeated Renegades again in a home-and-home less than a week later, something had to change to avoid the entire operation bottoming out.

In the belly of the whale, Ginn Jr. took an even greater share of accountability and channeled it into reshaping the approach of the Aviators with their season on the brink. After not attempting more than 25 rushes as a team the whole UFL season, Ginn Jr. turned the Aviators into an ironic nickname and proceeded to rebrand Columbus as an all-out ground assault in the rematch with Dallas.

Ginn Jr. and the Aviators shattered the UFL single-game team rushing attempts record by dialing up 47 carries for his running back room. The fourth quarter for Columbus proved reminiscent of Ohio State's mauling against Michigan down the stretch in Ann Arbor last season. The Aviators ultimately won by a 28-14 final score, and Ginn Jr. received a Gatorade bath to celebrate his first win as a head coach.

Watching your heroes let you down can be devastating, but watching them bounce back reminds you why they became your heroes in the first place. Learn from your mistakes as Ginn Jr. did and don't let a bad decision become something even worse.

Kyle Snyder vs. Khamzat Chimaev?

Nearly eight years following the end of his career at Ohio State, Kyle Snyder remains one of the greatest wrestlers to ever compete on behalf of not merely the Buckeyes, but the United States as a whole and even the sport itself. Although Snyder never pursued a career in mixed martial arts despite expressing interest in such a path following his gold medal at the 2016 Olympics, he could still end up confronting MMA in what may prove one of the most important matches of his career.

Snyder currently holds the light heavyweight championship belt with the Real American Freestyle (RAF) wrestling promotion based out of Tampa, FL. RAF began staging events last year with its first show in Cleveland, OH; while Snyder made his debut with the promotion only last month before successfully defending his title last night at RAF 08 in Philadelphia.

After his 15th victory in 16 contests over the last year, and as combat sports stars have begun turning to RAF as a vehicle for promoting their talents between bookings with lower risk of injury than usual, Snyder expressed interest in a new challenge: international UFC superstar Khamzat Chimaev.

This would be one of the most noteworthy matches from a name-brand value perspective for RAF to make. Chimaev made his professional MMA debut only a couple weeks removed from Snyder's Ohio State graduation in 2018, but merely two years later had already earned a spot on the UFC roster. He then quickly captured the world's imagination during a COVID-compromised sports schedule that saw the UFC as one of the only athletic attractions on regularly through most of 2020.

Chimaev now sits 15-0 as UFC middleweight champion and is ranked as the promotion's pound-for-pound third-best fighter in the entire world. He set a pair of UFC records in his title-winning effort at UFC 319 last year after landing 529 total strikes and controlling his opponent for nearly 22 of all 25 minutes of the fight. The undefeated champion will make his first title defense at UFC 328 in Newark, New Jersey, next month.

Including his 24-0 record in freestyle wrestling in which he surrendered merely eight points to opponents, Chimaev has never been defeated in professional combat sports. However, he has also only competed in freestyle wrestling once since 2018 and never outside of Sweden.

Even so, Chimaev's wrestling dominance against UFC talent has been part of what he has proudly built his fighting profile on. While cutting weight for his title fight last year, a video of Chimaev swinging around former two-division UFC champion and wrestling Olympian Daniel Cormier went viral in illustrating the raw strength Chimaev possesses.

Dedicated fans of wrestling as a sport continue to insist that the gap between their abilities and that of mixed martial artists remains far wider than the latter party would ever want to admit. Snyder seems keen on proving such an idea true on the largest stage possible.

James Franklin Era at Virginia Tech Begins with Parachute Accident

James Franklin may no longer be with Penn State, but college football can't escape Frames Janklin. Before Virginia Tech could even take the field for its own spring game yesterday, chaos had already begun its descent on the Hokies' football program. By the end of the afternoon, "this is how legends are made" had replaced "Enter Sandman" as the most infamous pre-game music tradition offered at Lane Stadium.

Thankfully, the original poster ("JIMMY") clarified that the parachuter ultimately received rescue after a second ladder truck arrived to help him down when the first on scene proved too short. That means we can all eventually look back on this incident years from now and laugh in recognizing what it foreshadowed for VT under Franklin.

ICYMI

Defense Triumphs Over Offense at Ohio State Spring Game

Virginia Tech wasn't the only school with a spring game yesterday! In case you missed any of the standout performances from Chris Henry Jr. or the Silver Bullets, check out this recap of the afternoon from the 11W beat staff.

Robby Discher Talks Rebuilding Ohio State Special Teams

One of the most lamented areas of the program in recent seasons by fans, recently arrived special teams coordinator Robby Discher talks what the Buckeyes need to improve heading into the 2026 season and expresses optimism in fellow new arrival in the form of kicker Connor Hawkins.

The Situational: Until the Real Thing Comes Along

Did you get your recommended dose of Ramzy this week?

What’s Next

  • Men's Lacrosse: Big Ten Tournament, vs. Michigan, Saturday, April 25th, TBD, B1G+
  • Men's Tennis: Big Ten Tournament, Wednesday - Saturday
  • OSU Football Returns: vs. Ball State, Saturday, September 5th
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