Earning a football scholarship is tough. Earning an Ohio State football scholarship is tougher. Being able to walk on to the Ohio State football team is just as difficult. The program is not open to just any athlete, so some have had to take creative routes to make their dreams come true.
For the first time since 2019, a member of the Ohio State Club Football team earned the right to walk-on for the official Ohio State football team. It was announced during the Buckeyes’ Spring Game on April 13 that defensive back Glorien Gough earned a walk-on spot with the Buckeyes.
Ohio State Adds Walk-on Glorien Gough From the Club Football Squad
Hailing from the prestigious Mater Dei High School, Gough did not have any recruiting services after him. While he attended a handful of camps, none of Rivals, On3, or 247Sports assigned him a single star.
At Mater Dei, Gough was a two-year varsity player, a one-year starter. He helped lead his team to a National Title in 2021.
His high school head coach spoke to Ohio State Club Football:
“We are very excited for Glorien as he takes the next step in his football career,” said Head Coach James Grega, Jr. “Coming from Mater Dei, Glorien already had experience playing at an elite level. After the stellar year he had for us, we have no doubt he is going to excel at the next level and be the next great Ohio State walk-on.”
He had an electric highlight reel in his senior season as well. It’s obvious he has a nose for the football and has good instincts, even as a high schooler.
As a member of the Ohio State Club Football team, Gough was a star. In total, he ended up with 38 total tackles, broke up five passes, and hauled in four interceptions. In addition, he shined on special teams, blocking a pair of punts.
His efforts earned him NCFA First-Team All-American Honors.
BIA Gets Better
If there is a positional group that would be harder to get into than the wide receivers on the Ohio State roster, it’s the secondary. The Buckeyes have historically recruited defensive backs incredibly well and Tim Walton has turned into just as elite of a recruiter as Brian Hartline.
Gough now gets to learn from the best and develop behind what feels like 10 different five-star athletes at corner alone.
Will we see Gough in live-game action this year or in the near future? Who knows! The last Club player to make the transition (Chris Booker) appeared in 12 games in 2021 after being part of the Buckeyes’ loaded wide receiver room for three years. Booker ended his career with two catches for 27 yards in 19 appearances. He also added three tackles and a forced fumble on special teams.
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