Not only is the NFL littered with former Ohio State football players, Buckeyes will be playing in the Alliance of American Football as well.
The Alliance of American Football, founded by Charlie Ebersol and Bill Polian, announced its final rosters earlier this week. Troy Polamalu, Head of Player Relations, and Hines Ward, Head of Football Development, are both integral pieces in making this new league a new-found success.
The AAF will kick off its inaugural season one week following the Super Bowl in Atlanta between the Los Angeles Rams and the New England Patriots. There are eight teams in the AAF league: Arizona Hotshots, Atlanta Legends, Birmingham Iron, Memphis Express, Orlando Apollos, Salt Lake Stallions, San Antonio Commanders and the San Diego Fleet.
There are five former Ohio State players that will be on rosters for the inaugural season of The Alliance of American Football.
Chase Ferris – Atlanta Legends
Ferris, a 6’4″ OG, was an undrafted free agent in 2016 and was signed to the Detroit Lions. After getting cut by the Lions, he spent the remainder of the 2016-2017 season with the New England Patriots, who won Super Bowl LI against the Atlanta Falcons.
Doran Grant – Atlanta Legends
Grant was a member of the 2015 Ohio State National Championship team. The former Buckeye cornerback was drafted in the 4th round of the 2015 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Throughout the past few NFL seasons Grant has been on various practice squad teams including the Buffalo Bills (2016), the New York Giants (2016), Jacksonville Jaguars (2016-2017) and the Chicago Bears (2017-2018).
Tracy Sprinkle – Atlanta Legends
Tracy was a 2018 undrafted free agent and was signed by the Carolina Panthers. The 6’3″ 293lb defensive tackle looks to stay healthy in his new opportunity with the Legends.
Jalin Marshall – Orlando Apollos
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Marshall finished his junior season at Ohio State with 36 receptions for 477 yards and 5 touchdowns. He chose to forgo his final two years of eligibility to enter the 2016 NFL Draft.
A talented WR and return specialist, he signed with the New York Jets as an undrafted free agent. He earned the 4th WR spot on the Jets depth chart.
After playing in 10 games during the 2016 season, he was diagnosed with a torn labrum. As the 2017 season approached, Marshall was suspended by the NFL for 4 games due to violating the NFL policy on performance enhancing substances. He was later waived by the Jets.
Marcus Baugh – San Diego Fleet
Baugh, a former Buckeye TE, signed with the Oakland Raiders in 2018 as an undrafted free agent.
The inaugural season of the AAF will kick off on February 9th on CBS and here are the games on tap.
- San Diego Fleet vs. San Antonio Commanders
- Atlanta Legends vs. Orlando Apollos
- Memphis Express vs. Birmingham Iron
- Salt Lake Stallions vs. Arizona Hotshots
There will be five Buckeyes who strap up to play in the inaugural season of the AAF. When the Atlanta Legends take on the Orlando Apollos, four of those former Ohio State football players will be battling it out for one of the first victories of the 2019 inaugural season.