Ohio State All-American CB Shaun Wade opts out, declares for 2021 NFL Draft
By Dante Pryor
Ohio State football All-American cornerback Shaun Wade has opted out of the season and declared for the 2021 NFL Draft. He is a top-10 projected pick.
Because of the uncertainty surrounding this Big Ten season, Ohio State football All-American cornerback Shaun Wade has opted out of the season and declared for the 2021 NFL Draft.
“This has been an extremely difficult decision to make, but I know it’s the right decision for me. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic and uncertainty surrounding our season, I have decided to forgo my remaining eligibility and officially declare for the 2021 NFL draft,” Wade said in a video posted to his Twitter account on Monday morning. “I am forever grateful to Buckeye Nation and looking forward to the next chapter.”
Wade joins fellow Buckeye Wyatt Davis in declaring for the NFL draft.
https://twitter.com/shaunwade24/status/1305484430170087429?s=21
“I came back to get my degree and to play another season and win a national championship,” Wade said. “But when the Big Ten canceled, I was focused on still playing, but I felt like they were holding off for so long I thought it was the best decision for me to declare for the draft and just go on with preparing and getting ready for the draft.”
Shaun Wade is expected to be the latest Ohio State cornerback to be taken early in the first round of the NFL Draft as he continues the DBU legacy at the next level
Wade is projected to be the first cornerback taken off of the board and possibly the first defensive player taken in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Like Davis, Wade wanted to return to try to win a National Championship. He was named a team captain and was on the Thorpe Award watch list and a preseason All-American.
When the Big Ten decided to postpone the season, Wade’s father, who helped lead a protest, said his son would not play if the season started later than October. With so much uncertainty, Wade decided he did not want to wait and hired an agent. The Big Ten’s presidents and chancellors did meet this weekend, but they did not vote. A vote is possibly upcoming sometime this week.
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