According to a report by Yahoo Sports’ Pete Thamel, Ohio State offensive guard Wyatt Davis will be opting out of his redshirt junior season to declare for the 2021 NFL Draft. He is the first Ohio State player to opt out of the incoming football season.
News: Ohio State star offensive lineman Wyatt Davis, a potential first round pick, tells @YahooSports he's declaring for the NFL draft. He calls not playing this season "really heartbreaking." He's the first Buckeye to announce he's turning pro. https://t.co/hQrg0mNg9Z
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) September 11, 2020
“My family and I were waiting to hear any good news that there would be a possibility to play in the fall,” Davis said in Thamel’s report. “As the weeks went on, after the initial cancellation, the news didn’t seem in favor that we would have an opportunity to play for a national championship if there was a season. At this point, my family and I made the decision that it would be my best decision to take the next step.”
Davis was a preseason All-American and was named to the Big Ten All-Decade team by the Big Ten Network after just one full season as a starter for Ohio State. In that lone season, he was the key part of an offensive line that was a finalist for the Joe Moore Award, which goes to the top offensive line in the country.
“It’s really heartbreaking,” Davis told Yahoo Sports. “I believe that we would have won the national championship this year. It’s really unfortunate. I feel for all those guys, especially the younger players going into this year having that taken away from them. It’s tough, but we are in a pandemic. It’s just really unfortunate. We had something really special.”
Davis was named a captain for the 2020 Ohio State football team. He was initially one of three offensive linemen, along with Josh Myers and Thayer Munford, to say that they will be returning for another season prior to the Fiesta Bowl loss to Clemson.
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