COLUMBUS, Ohio — It’s officially football season for Buckeye fans — the team took the field for the first day of fall training camp at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center.
And for the first time, fans got a peak at Ohio State fall training camp. It was announced several weeks ago that tickets would go on sale for the first two days of practice, and fans snagged all of those tickets within two hours.
What You Need To Know
- Tickets went on sale for fans for the first two practices of fall camp, with all proceeds going toward the Buckeye’s NIL initiatives
- For long-time fan Pat Brandt, seeing the players at practice after no longer being able to attend games was a bonus
- For young fans, it was a way to see their favorite Buckeyes up close
- Quarterbacks Devin Brown and Kyle McCord shared snaps at practice
It’s not every day you get to see your favorite players up close, like Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka.
For these young fans, who dressed in head-to-toe Buckeye gear, it was all about seeing those players.
Hunter Bellamy (left) and his older brother Sawyer watch Ohio State practice (Spectrum News 1/ Katie Kapusta)
“Um, can you sign my cards?” said eight year old Sawyer Bellamy. “How about ‘Good luck?'”
While players stayed after to sign autographs, it’s more than that for others.
Marvin Harrison Jr. (left) and Emeka Egbuka sign autographs for fans after practice (Spectrum News 1/ Katie Kapusta)
Pat Brandt has had season tickets ever since she can remember, but this season is going to look a little different.
“Oh my goodness, I can’t tell you how many years back this goes,” Brandt said. “My husband and I have been to every game, used to go to out-of-town games, and last year we decided that that was our last game. I’m 90, he’s 93, so you know it gets to the point that we’ll stay home and watch it on TV.”
Pat Brandt is glad she was able to come to practice after no longer being able to go to games (Spectrum News 1/ Katie Kapusta)
The 90 year old has a front-row seat to see her favorite players. And while she won’t be in the Shoe this year, she said seeing the players on the practice field is the next best thing.
“This is really cool because you’re really up close,” she said. “I really like this and then trying to be able to figure out who’s who and where they’re from, it’s been interesting too.”
For players, it’s all about preparations on the field rather than what’s going on around them, from quarterback questions to defensive concerns.
For linebacker Cody Simon, he said while it was a nice touch to have fans in attendance; it was about football first.
The OSU offensive line works at their first fall training camp (Spectrum News 1/ Katie Kapusta)
“It’s definitely kind of cool to have more than just our coaches out,” Simon said. “But I think it’s important for us to be able to focus. Like we can enjoy the fans until we actually have to get going and get ultra-focused and accomplish the task at hand. Then when we’re done, we can enjoy and do all that other stuff. It was pretty cool.”
But for fans like Brandt, one of the lucky 1,000 fans with tickets over two days, these memories last a lifetime.
“Because I know I’m not going to a game, and just seeing them it makes you feel good!” she said.
Thursday’s practice was the first of 25 ahead of the season opener at Indiana.
The biggest question going into the season is who will start at quarterback for the Buckeyes. The gig is between sophomore Devin Brown and junior Kyle McCord. Head coach Ryan Day said both QBs will get equal snaps during fall camp until one emerges.
