Two Ohio State National Champions Honored With Jersey Retirement

Two Ohio State National Champions were recognized this week with jersey retirements at their high school, St. Vincent-St. Mary in Akron, Ohio.

Parris Campbell and Doran Grant returned to their old stomping grounds on Thursday night for the honor, as the duo's No. 21 jersey was immortalized forever by their Alma Mater.

It was Grant who wore the now-retired number first, during his time with the program from 2008-2011. He had a memorable four years with the Fighting Irish as a two-way star playing both cornerback and wide receiver.

In his four years, Grant racked up 203 tackles and six interceptions on defense, while hauling in 88 receptions for 1,115 yards and 25 touchdowns on offense. Those numbers paved the way for Grant to earn four-star recruit status nationally by Rivals.com, where he was considered the No. 3 cornerback in the entire 2011 class.

After his senior season, he committed to Ohio State during the nationally televised Under Armour All-American game. Grant made an immediate impact with the Buckeyes, starting all 13 games as a true freshman. He snagged his first interception during his Sophomore season in 2012.

Then, after a productive junior campaign, Grant opted to remain with the Buckeyes for his senior year, a decision that paid off with a run to a National Championship in the first-ever iteration of the College Football Playoff. Later that spring, Grant was a fourth-round draft pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers. He spent four years in the NFL before playing for teams in the AAF, the XFL and the CFL.

Despite only crossing paths for one year at St. Vincent-St. Mary, Campbell, as fate would have it, also wound up sharing that championship memory with Grant in January of 2015 when the two also crossed paths at Ohio State.

Campbell's road to Columbus was a little different, doubling as a wide receiver and running back for the Fighting Irish during his high school tenure. In his senior season, he racked up over 1,500 yards rushing and 22 touchdowns, while leading the Fighting Irish to back-to-back state titles in 2012 and 2013.

Unlike Grant, Campbell spent his freshman year with the Scarlett and Gray as a redshirt during the team's national title run. He spent the next four years slowly carving out a nice role for himself, though, culminating in a productive senior season that saw him haul in 90 passes for 1,063 yards and 12 touchdowns.

In a memorable 62-39 senior day win over Michigan in 2018, Campbell delivered a career performance with six catches for 192 yards and two touchdowns. His 78-yard score remains the longest touchdown against the Wolverines in program history.