Ohio State cornerback Shaun Wade’s decision still a tough one after Big Ten establishes fall season

COLUMBUS, Ohio — For his 22nd birthday, former and potentially future Ohio State football cornerback Shaun Wade faced a tough decision.

Wade left open the door to return to the Buckeyes even after announcing Monday he would forego his remaining eligibility and begin preparing for the 2021 NFL Draft. He and his father, Randy, affirmed in an interview with ESPN’s SportsCenter that the option remains on the table after the Big Ten Conference announced it will begin playing games in late October.

Shaun Wade said he had a relationship with an agent, but has not yet signed anything, and has not made a decision on whether or not to return to the Buckeyes. Randy Wade told cleveland.com earlier this week that his son originally planned to formalize his representation Wednesday night.

Shaun Wade said his final decision may now come on Thursday.

“Right now, I haven’t decided,” Shaun Wade said. “I just want to enjoy my birthday.”

Ohio State All-American offensive lineman Wyatt Davis opted out of the then-unspecified 2020 season last Friday. Both OSU coach Ryan Day and athletic director Gene Smith said they had been communicating with those players but had not received updates on their status or eligibility. Smith briefly left a Zoom call with reporters to accept a phone call from Davis.

“It’s happening and moving quickly, so we’ll let them digest and see, in the conversations they’re having with their families, what they want to do, and then we’ll go from there,” Day said. “But they’ve both shared with me that they want to play football. They want to be part of this team, they want to play with their teammates, and now the opportunity is here.”

The decision is not an easy one. Despite the Big Ten’s confidence in the daily rapid testing that will make a fall season possible, there is no guarantee the season will begin or reach its completion.

Assuming neither player has compromised his NCAA eligibility, both Wade and Davis would have to move back to Columbus and pursue a semester of classwork. Their formal football training would be limited to the NCAA’s 20-hour work week structure.

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