Football Camp Continues – Ohio State Buckeyes
8/13/1998 12:00:00 AM | Football
August 13, 1998
Merchandise “for sale” at media day The Ohio State department of athletics will have a merchandise booth set up on the Ohio Stadium track at Friday’s media day. From 10:30 until the end of the autograph session fans will be able to purchase Ohio State merchandise such as media guides, football tee-shirts, the 1998 OSU coaches polo shirt, OSU Nike hats, jerseys and a limited supply of autographed footballs.
Help! Help us promote the fact that fans can arrive at media/autograph day starting at 10:30 a.m. and not earlier (due to the photos and interviews that need to take place where fans want to be). Fans may enter the Stadium through the North End Rotunda and also from Gate 14. Media enters the Stadium through Gate 21.
80 veterans report Thursday Ohio State’s varsity, 80 strong, will report for their start of fall camp tomorrow between 3:30 and 5:00 at the Fawcett Center for Tomorrow.
Coach John Cooper’s Day 2 “Quotes”
How is Jamar Martin progressing? “He is a big fullback. I told him earlier that no matter how much running he would do in the summer, it wouldn’t be enough – and I was right. But he comes from a great high school program, which was No. 1 in the country and he can help our team this year if he gets in shape.”
How is the conditioning of the rest of the freshman class? “Most of them aren’t in shape. They don’t understand how hard the upperclassmen work. The commitment you have to make to be a football player at Ohio State is huge.”
What are you impressions of Jonathan Wells? “He’s shown us a lot. I like Jonathan Wells but it’s a little bit like your rose garden – your rose garden looks good until you look at someone else’s rose garden. I like what he’s doing now but how well he compares to some of the other running backs we have remains to be seen.”
Freshman Defensive Back Donnie Nickey “Quotes”
Donnie Nickey rushed for 1,300 yards as a high school senior at tiny Jonathan Alder High School in Plain City, Ohio, just minutes outside of Columbus and the impressive shadow of Ohio State football. He played tailback and defensive back in high school but will be looked at as a DB at Ohio State. Just three months ago he helped his high school baseball team win the state championship. Today, he endured his second day of fall camp as a Buckeye.
How tough has the conditioning been? “The physical isn’t the hard part. It’s the mental aspect. Learning all of the plays and coverages and knowing where I’m supposed to be is a lot more than I’m used to.”
Has anything overwhelmed you yet? “There is a lot of talent out there – more than I’ve ever played with and only the freshman are here. When the varsity squad gets here, there’s going to be a lot more.”
Are you nervous at all about covering receivers like David Boston and Dee Miller and competing with guys like Damon Moore? “Obviously I’m going to have to do it. It’s not intimidating, but it’s my job and I’m going to have to do it.”
Freshman Defensive lineman David Thompson “Quotes”
David Thompson was the 15th individual to sign a scholarship to attend Ohio State University, and he did so late and thus his biography is not found in the 1998 Ohio State media guide. He’ll be in the game program, though. David is from Paterson, N.J., and attended Eastside High School. He is a 6-5, 280-pound defensive lineman.
How has the first couple days of camp gone for you? “The first practice was okay. But the second practice – the conditioning part of it – got to me. But now I know what to expect. Hopefully by next week, I’ll be used to it.”
Are you nervous or excited at all about the upperclassmen coming in tomorrow? “I’m more excited than nervous. I think I’m even too excited. Once I get used to those guys, I’ll be all right.”
What has working with your position coach Jim Heacock been like? “It’s been fun. He’s a cool guy and has been teaching me a lot.”
