Wide Receivers and Special Teams Spoke with the Media
4/8/2025 2:50:00 PM | Football
On how spring is going:
“I’m having a lot of fun. I can’t say it’s as fun as my first spring when I came in as a freshman. Things are kind of different this year round, second spring. I’m getting limited t on a couple things just trying to take care of my body. I’m having a lot of fun, getting on the younger guys, showing them the right way and everything like that. I’m definitely having a good time this spring.”
On the fans at Student Appreciation Day:
“I don’t think I’ll ever get used to it. It’s a blessing for sure to see everyone come out, all the Buckeye fans. Everyone came up to me to take pictures and everything. I wish I could do everybody, but it’s too much sometimes and they understand that. I’m thankful for them.”
On Brian Hartline calling him a leader:
“I’ve been able to voice my opinions more, talk to the guys, pushing more guys and just being the voice. We lost a lot of receivers, those were the voice of the team, so we need more guys to step up and I’m willing to do that.”
On what he is trying to focus on this spring:
“Probably just to be more vocal, that’s me coming out of my comfort zone.” I’m usually just a lead by example guy, so being more vocal for the guys around me and being heard.”
On the opportunities ahead:
“It feels amazing. I feel like finally my time is now. I feel like I've been patient, never questioned the decision I made to come here and I knew how to stick through hard times. I feel like it's finally paying off. Also, now I'm seeing the vision from what Coach Hartline used to tell me in recruiting. This is my first spring fully healthy that I finished because last year I had a little minor injury, but we're almost done. It feels good.”
On being a leader of the team:
“Emeka used to tell me I was the energy source in the room for him to tell me that I knew the team would also look at me as an energy source. So whatever I need to do whether it's vocally or just making a big block and celebrating with my teammates doing everything I can off the field on the sidelines and during games. Whatever needs to be done to be the best leader I can and do whatever it takes for my team to win."
On what has been the biggest challenges so far at Ohio State:
“I would say the practice tempo. Being a Buckeye, the practice here is very intense, so getting adjusted to it was pretty difficult. Most of the freshmen have fit into it and we’re driving now.”
On what made him want to be a Buckeye:
“I feel like if Coach Hartline offers you a scholarship, you can’t pass up the opportunity. He has sent so many guys to the league in the past years, first round guys the past four and five years, he is going to do it again this year with Emeka Egbuka and he is going to keep doing it for years to come. I’m trying to be one of those guys.”
On what it’s like being a Buckeye:
“It’s definitely just as I imagined. The reason I came here is not because it’s easy, but because it’s hard. I have people everyday pushing me, wanting me to be great and that’s just part of being a Buckeye.”
On how this last year has changed him:
“It’s changed a lot. My sophomore year of high school I was hurt and in my junior year I got hurt during track, so I wasn't highly recruited or anything. This time last year was when my recruitment really picked up. It has been crazy just to have people believing in me and have people in my corner, like my coaches. They’ve given me the motivation to keep going.”
On what he can bring to the team:
“Explosiveness. Whatever I can honestly bring to the team, whether it's offense, special teams, energy, however I can help the receiver group. I know my skill set and what I can bring, but whatever the team needs I can provide.”
On Brandon Inniss and his leadership:
“He is respected in our room, not even just in the receiver room, but the whole team. He is our energy guy when days are down or slow. He's known for bringing energy and just hyping everybody up, whether he's impacting on the field or not, he's known for that.”
On his growth over the last five weeks:
“I take more of a leadership aspect and role model for the young guys. I just like doing simple things… just simple bonding moments with them. I feel like I've grown as a leader doing that and then as I continue to do that to make our room complete and more whole.”
On how spring training has been:
“It's extremely comfortable I’m super confident in my ability to do what I do. Just building that trust with my quarterbacks. That's pretty much what I came and wanted to do. Let them know that they have a reliable option number 13 any time they are on the field and establishing that. Also, like I said earlier just showing my young guys a foundation example of what to come in and do and what the expectations are around here.”
On Coach Jordan:
“When Coach Hartline is not in the room, Coach Jordan steps up and he helps us out in everything we need to do. He's a big help and he makes sure we stay on top of our stuff.”
On what it means to be in the wide receiver room:
“It's a big step. It definitely holds a lot on your shoulders, so you have to think quick and it's definitely a big dream of mine. I'm blessed to be here.”
On what about his game has allowed him to be a playmaker already at this level:
“Well, there has been ups and downs, but it’s mostly just trying to work, attack the same everyday and trying to get better, that’s pretty much it.”
On how it felt to lose the black stripe:
“Really good. It was a great accomplishment. It is definitely a good thing, but I’m still more focused now on playing, getting better and still competing.”
On what it’s like to be apart of the receiver room:
“It’s definitely high expectations, hard work, everybody’s competing against each other. It’s a real competition, real room, and you really are competing against everybody there and it’s real work.”
On where he is trying to grow the most this spring:
“I would say in leadership. With it being my senior year, trying to lead some of the younger guys into a bigger role this year has been fun for me. Also, consistency, trying to come back from not my best season. Even though it ended the right way, I know it wasn’t up to my expectations or the standards here. Trying to get myself back to that level every single day is what I’ve been focusing on.”
On his mental change bouncing back from TTUN:
“I knew it was do or die. I had to bounce back. There’s a different fire in you when you think you’re not going to be able to do something anymore. You take every opportunity that you can to make sure you continue to do what you love to do, to be around the people that you love to be around and do the things that we get to do here.”
On his goals going into his second year:
“The first year was a development year to get an understanding of the whole thing. Football is big and I think the opportunity to go through college and experience what college is like, being Australian, you have no idea what that is. Then to come into a school like Ohio State, it is a big deal and I really understand that. Obviously there were expectations with coming in, playing, starting and I know stuff was said. It was awesome for me and awesome back at home, but the harsh reality was I wasn’t ready. I think now it’s a stepping stone to see how far I can push myself and this year is a great opportunity to see how far I can take it.”
On what the emotional adjustment was like leaving Australia:
“It was definitely an emotional toll without your family. It’s definitely hard, time zone differences don’t help the situation. At that time, it was 16 hours so I would wake up and they would be going to bed or vice versa. It was definitely emotional and the actual stress of trying to keep up with what they wanted was also a mental toll. Fortunately, I had met a lady named Nicole Kraft, who was one of my teachers and got me in contact with some cool people. I worked with sport psychologists and all that sort of stuff to work on the mental side, which was far more important for me than the actual physical side. I knew I could do it physically, but it was a matter of getting in a mental headspace to perform at the highest level possible and that’s what college football is.”
On Spring practices:
“A lot of the time we take the meeting to the field and obviously when they're doing the whole scrimmages we're playing the game in our heads. So we go outside where the open turf, we'll get reps and we'll work cadences. I like to visualize a lot so I like to put myself in the position in the game and we're getting work outside... It’s really beneficial so I like that about it. They're getting better, so we have got to get better too.”
On continuing to improve:
“A big improvement for me this offseason definitely is cadence work. Just working on changing stuff up and not giving out cues for certain things. Then technique of course, just refining and elevating my play.”
On how he ended up at Ohio State:
"I was at Prokick, I trained there for about two years…Ohio State reached out and said we might need someone to come in and back up Jesse Mirco from the last year. They put me forward and they liked what I could do. I came over and backed Jesse up and he was an unbelievable mentor for me. I worked with Cam Johnston too who’s with the Steelers now and was at Ohio State for the last National Championship actually. I won the job last year and had my first season last year.”
