Jim Tressel’s place in Ohio Stadium is about to become permanent.
After Saturday’s game against Ball State, the former Ohio State head coach will be added to the Buckeyes’ Ring of Honor, with his name going up on the east side of the stadium beside Woody Hayes. Along with the name, the display will list his biggest accomplishments: the 2003 National Championship, eight Big Ten championships, and his place in the College Football Hall of Fame.
It marks another week-one tribute inside Ohio Stadium for a college football figure. Last year, Lee Corso was honored during his final College GameDay appearance before Ohio State played Texas.
Tressel’s run in Columbus began with a program that was solid but not quite where Buckeye fans wanted it to be. John Cooper’s final stretch ended with records of 6-6 in 1999 and 8-4 in 2000 before the Buckeyes handed the program over to Tressel.
His first season was modest by Ohio State standards, as he went 7-5 in 2001. Then everything changed. The Buckeyes went 14-0 in 2002 and finished it off by beating Miami in the National Championship Game.
Tressel’s Ohio State tenure ended in 2010, when he was forced to step down after “Tattoo Gate.” That also brought his coaching career to a close; he never took another job after spending 10 seasons as the Buckeyes’ head coach.
For a lot of people in Buckeye Nation, the answer to who they most closely connect with Ohio State football is simple: the man in the sweater vest. Now his name will stay on the stadium wall for good.
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Jay Timmons is one of the more intriguing pieces in that mix, a freshman cornerback whose role could grow as the season settles in. For a defense that needs both confidence and chemistry, a game like this matters beyond the final score because it gives Ohio State a chance to see which combinations hold up, which ones need more time, and where the early uncertainty still lingers. [Read more 🡒]
Jaxon Smith-Njigba Just Reopened A Debate Ohio State Fans Never Settled
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Since then, Smith-Njigba has only added to the intrigue around that missed opportunity. He has become one of the NFLs top receivers, leading the league in receiving yards and earning a contract extension, which only sharpens the old debate over how much Ohio State might have gained if he had been able to suit up. For Buckeyes fans, it is the kind of conversation that never really dies, especially when the player at the center of it has gone on to prove just how high his ceiling really was. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Has A Backup QB Concern Right Before Week 1
Ohio State is heading into its season opener against Ball State and, with fall camp wrapping up, one of the quieter storyline has become a quarterback spot that could matter a lot more than it usually does. Julian Sayin is set as the starter, but the Buckeyes have been sorting through the next layer at the position, and Tavien St. Clairs uneven camp has kept the conversation alive behind the scenes.
St. Clair, a highly ranked recruit, still brings obvious long-term intrigue, yet the immediate concern is what the depth chart looks like if Ohio State ever has to turn to its backup. Luke Fahey, a true freshman, is part of that fight too, and the competition leaves the Buckeyes with a little less certainty than they probably wanted right before Week 1. [Read more 🡒]