Ohio State Buckeyes are getting one of their best players back following Big Ten’s decision to stage a 2020 college football season. Corner Shaun Wade, projected top 10 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, confirmed on Thursday that he reversed a previous decision to opt-out from playing this year.
Due to uncertainty caused by the coronavirus pandemic, Wade announced earlier this month that he won’t be playing college football in 2020 and will instead focus on getting ready for NFL Draft. At the time, it was unclear whether Big Ten will even have competitions this fall.
However, when it became official that Big Ten is committed to having a season in 2020, Wade quickly opted back in.
“Really, back in January, I didn’t go to the draft, and my goal was to come back, be a captain, get my degree,” said Wade during an appearance on ESPN. “And they didn’t cancel football. Now it’s back. So since it’s back, we’ve got a chance to win a national championship. That’s been my goal since day one. So that’s what we’re striving for. That’s what we’re gonna strive for when we get back in October.”
In his redshirt freshman season with Ohio in 2018, Shaun Wade had 31 tackles, seven passes defended, three interceptions, and one forced fumble. When he returned in 2019, Wade showed even more disruptive ability, getting 2.0 sacks to go with 25 tackles, 8 passes defended, and 1 interception.
Wade considered entering the 2020 NFL Draft following his redshirt sophomore year, with many mock drafts predicting him as a first-round pick. However, he decided to work on his stocks, even more, this year and it appears he’ll now get a chance to do so.
