Ohio State Football's Name Game

Ohio State recruits football players for their elite talents, but don’t discount the star-making power of a blue-chip name (think: former All-American linebacker A.J. Hawk). The 2019 roster is filled with memorable monikers, so we’ve rated four of the Buckeyes’ best.

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Tuf Borland, junior linebacker

Pros: No one lived up to their name more in 2018. In March, he ruptured his Achilles, which typically involves at least nine months of recovery, but Tuf was playing again before Labor Day.

Cons: Also sounds like a brand of second-rate sports gear

Rating: 4 footballs

Steele Chambers, freshman running back

Pros: With a name like that, he’s equally likely to become an NFL All-Pro, a WWE competitor, a real-world superhero or a “film” star, possibly all four.

Cons: He’s battling for playing time and name recognition in a deep backfield that also includes the formidably titled Master Teague III.

Rating: 4.5 footballs

Binjimen Victor, senior wide receiver

Pros: Gets an extra point for the unique spelling, and anyone named Victor seems to have an inside track on the competition.

Cons: He loses a point for sharing his name with the title of a certain university’s fight song, though at least he’s undefeated against the Wolverines on the field.

Rating: 3.5 footballs

Gunnar Hoak, graduate transfer quarterback

Pros: Such a great name for a QB that it could be lifted from a Keanu Reeves movie; this Dublin native would be the Heisman winner if awards were based only on that criterion.

Cons: They aren’t.

Rating: 4 footballs

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