Rose and Small Headed Back to the Gridiron

Ohio State defensive end Rob Rose and wide receiver Ray Small have returned to the football program and will begin participating in full contact drills later this week, according to OSU and Bucknuts.com. Both players were sidelined due to academic issues and were not invited to report to camp with the rest of the team on 8/9.

By Mark Silverman

Last Friday, Rose and Small were present for team meetings, yet their activity will be limited for the next few days. The goal is that both will be in full pads and participating in full contact drills later this week.

Both heading into their final season as Buckeyes, Rose and Small have a chance to rewrite their legacy. Rose came to Columbus highly recruited, but his career to this point hasn’t lived up to potential. With that said, Rose received significant playing time toward the latter portion of the 2008 season and should continue to be a part of the rotation at defensive end, behind starters Lawrence Wilson and Thaddeus Gibson.

Small has portrayed flashes of brilliance throughout his career, but numerous off-field issues have created a less than favorable impression and have kept the senior in the doghouse of head coach Jim Tressel. The Buckeyes need Small’s big play ability to play championship caliber football. If Small can deliver and stay in the news for his on-field performance, many bad memories will be forgotten.