Bennett Christian’s 2023 Suspension Shaped His Path To Leadership

Bennett Christian has had an all but ordinary road in his college career.

The former four-star prospect joined Ohio State in the 2022 class as the highest-rated prospect in Allatoona High School history. 

As a freshman, Christian appeared in two games during a redshirt season.

Prior to his sophomore campaign, Christian faced yet another bump in the road. The Acworth, Ga., native tested positive for a banned substance and was suspended for the 2023 season, although he was still able to practice with the team.

In 2024, Christian played in 15 games, but was unable make a significant impact amid a veteran-laden Buckeyes roster during its national championship run.

This season, following a career marked by challenges and setbacks, Christian has settled into his role and is now focused on leading one of the most talented Ohio State tight end groups in recent memory.

Now in his fourth year with the program, Christian is the longest tenured tight end on the Buckeyes’ roster. 

Christian said that with the departure of veteran tight end Gee Scott Jr. to the NFL, he recognized the leadership gap it would create and seized the chance to step up and lead the younger players in the room.

“I think it’s just I’ve been here the longest, I’ve known (tight ends coach Keenan Bailey) probably the longest anyone in the room,” Christian said. “I’ve built trust with him and I’ve grown comfortable leading and speaking out on stuff that’s not right and I know what’s right and wrong with our culture and I think now I’m just more comfortable in calling stuff out and encouraging guys.” 

He may have settled into his role now, but following his suspension two years ago, Christian wasn’t certain he’d ever take the field for Ohio State again.

“In the past, my mindset was so bad at that time,” Christian said. “I was in a dark, dark place, and I didn’t know if I was ever going to play football here. I didn’t know if I was going to transfer.” 

He credited his parents with playing a major role in motivating him to continue his career at Ohio State, helping him shift his mindset toward giving his absolute best effort in everything he does.

“I told my dad, ‘I don’t want to play here,’ and he told me, ‘No you’re going to do it.’ I wanted him to say ‘Let’s go somewhere else,’ but he didn’t,” Christian said. “Really my mom too. So at that point, I changed my mindset that I was going to do this to the best of my ability. I really bought into that and I didn’t worry about anything else. I just took it one day at a time and my career changed.”

For Christian, his struggles were the perfect opportunity to work on himself. He characterized the error as both a lesson in accountability and a step toward commitment, noting that even the “rough time” had its silver linings.

Christian said that although his challenging past created obstacles at the time, it ultimately helped him develop maturity and gain valuable experience from having been through so much.

“A lot of it is about my past, guys are seeing what I’ve been through and when younger guys are going through a hard time I feel like I’m somebody they can look up to,” Christian said. “So when I see people that are going through a lot, I’ll just sit down and talk about it with them and say like, ‘Man, I was probably in the same spot you were, probably worse. It’s never too late to turn it around.’ ” 

Bailey said that challenges Christian faced have only made him stronger, and that he used his year of suspension as an opportunity to develop as a player.

“He’s grown so much and he’s such a veteran guy. He’s been through some trials here and he’ll be the first one to say that,” Bailey said. “I think that strengthens you, right? He was out for a year practicing against the best and that really took his development to the next level. He had an awesome fall camp. He’s another guy that can be the leader of my unit. He’s been in that room the longest. He’s kind of that veteran figure helping the guys and super proud to coach him.” 

Purdue transfer tight end Max Klare noted that Christian’s experience stands out in his leadership, guiding his teammates in the tight end room to develop and grasp the offense.

“Ben’s been awesome, just the way he leads our unit,” Klare said. He’s been here the longest within our unit and you can feel that he has a lot of knowledge about the offense and what we need to do on a daily basis.”

Christian said he’s excited to see what this tight end group can do, praising it as the best room he’s been part of since arriving at Ohio State in 2022.

“This is by far the best room I’ve been in since I’ve been here, and that’s saying a lot with (Cade Stover and Scott playing here) ,” Christian said. “It’s healthy competition. It’s a friendly competition. We’re all best friends off the field and so every time we’re out there, we know we’re competing and we just make each other better.”