Ohio State’s season opener against Ball State will come with plenty of ceremony, and one of the biggest pregame moments now has a familiar name attached to it.
Maurice Clarett will ring the Victory Bell before Saturday’s game, a spot the Buckeyes began using a year ago under athletic director Ross Bjork. Clarett, who played one season at Ohio State, is being brought back for the honor as the program opens the year with a long list of celebrations.
The former running back’s Ohio State story still stands out. Clarett was one of the most talented backs the Buckeyes have ever had and started for the 2002 team that won the national championship.
After that season, he attempted to challenge the NFL rule that barred players from entering the draft until three years after high school. He lost that challenge and was declared ineligible by former athletic director Andy Geiger, who was soon replaced by Gene Smith.
Clarett never suited up for Ohio State again. He went on to be a third-round pick by the Broncos in the 2005 NFL Draft, but he was cut.
Later, he was arrested and sent to prison on gun charges and never got the chance to play in the NFL. Since then, though, he has rebuilt his life and become a motivational speaker, telling his story to young people and urging them not to make the same mistakes he did.
Now he is back in the fold with Ohio State in a moment that reflects how far his relationship with the university has come.
Saturday will also feature Senior Day, a move described as unusual by Ross Bjork, and Jim Tressel will be enshrined in the Ring of Honor at halftime. Clarett and Tressel remain close, and Tressel stood by Clarett when he was dealing with his personal struggles.
On the field, Ohio State is expected to handle Ball State without much trouble. The Buckeyes are a huge favorite and will likely lean on backups in the second half as they turn attention to a bigger test in Week 2 against Texas.
That matchup figures to be the first real challenge for the No. 1 team in the country. But for now, the opener gives Ohio State fans a chance to kick off a season they hope can end with a national championship and put Ryan Day in rarified air.
The Buckeyes are favored in most of their games this season, and Saturday is where it all begins.
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If the draft holds, the Indiana game would land in the noon window on FOX with Gus Johnson and Joel Klatt on the call, while Oregon would get a 3:30 p.m. FOX slot with Brad Nessler and Charles Davis. For Ohio State, the network placement matters almost as much as the opponent in a season built around marquee dates, and these early TV hints only sharpen the intrigue around two games that should carry plenty of weight in the Big Ten race. [Read more 🡒]