It’s not unusual for players to announce they are leaving the Ohio State football program this time of year but two recent transfers are interesting.
L’Christian “Blue” Smith announced he is leaving the Ohio State football program and Malik Barrow is also transferring. While it isn’t unusual for players to transfer from big-time college football programs, especially in the spring, these two situations are interesting.
Smith is leaving after his freshman season which doesn’t happen often. Players who transfer usually wait until the following year to do so. Barrow announced he was retiring from football last fall due to injuries he had suffered but apparently has had a change of heart.
Let’s first take at the wide receiver who is transferring.
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Hindsight is 20-20, so looking back you could possibly see Smith / Ohio State wasn’t a great fit. His recruitment was a strange one to say the least.
Even though he grew up in Dayton, Ohio it was widely reported he was favoring playing for Kentucky. He was fond of the university and the coaching staff, but there was also another reason he was leaning towards playing for the Wildcats if reports were correct. It was said that head coach Mark Stoops would allow him to try out for the basketball team.
One of the reasons the 6’ 6” Smith was so highly coveted by major programs was because he was so athletic. Coaches were drooling over the prospect of having a player that size with D-1 basketball skills going up to catch a football downfield.
I haven’t heard what Smith’s plans are yet but I’m sure you will hear about him down the road on the gridiron and / or the hardwood.
After dealing with an injury situation, Barrow decided to hang up the cleats and retire from football last fall but has now changed his mind. Apparently the defensive tackle will graduate in June so he will be able to play for another school immediately.
You can’t blame either of these young men for looking to find greener pastures. They only have five years to play four seasons of college football. And with the receivers and defensive linemen on the Ohio State roster the two may have better opportunities to play elsewhere.