Ohio State football: Top 3 Buckeyes to leave the program

Noah Spence is one of the best recruits the Buckeyes have ever had join their program. According to 247 Sports, Spence is the 5th best recruit to ever play football for Ohio State. He was that dominant of a defensive end when he entered Columbus in 2012.

Spence only played sparingly as a freshman, recording only a single sack. But as a sophomore in 2013, he had 50 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, and 7.5 sacks. He looked like he was a star in the making. He was poised for an even better season as a junior in 2014.

Alas, he never got to play again for the Buckeyes. He was suspended for the 2013 Orange Bowl and the first two games of 2014 after testing positive for MDMA (more known as Molly) but was then dismissed from the program after failing another drug test. My sources told me it was for cocaine at that time.

After leaving Ohio State, he transferred to Eastern Kentucky in the FCS. He only played one season there, recording 63 tackles and 11.5 sacks. He then entered the draft the following year and was the 39th overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft.

Spence is now with the Saints and is still firmly in the league. But if he hadn’t gotten dismissed from Ohio State, he could have been a top-10 pick in the draft. He also would have won a national championship with the Buckeyes, and perhaps would have helped them not lose to Virginia Tech that season.

Spence had a lot of talent and could have been one of the best defensive players to ever come through Columbus. But his talent was unquestioned from day one. That is not the case for the last player on this list.