Ohio State then-sophomore offensive line Paris Johnson Jr. (77) gives fans high fives as he walks out of the stadium. Credit: Mackenzie Shanklin | Lantern File Photo
Former Ohio State wide receiver Mylan Graham made news when he transferred to Notre Dame in January.
He gained even more attention a month later when he was asked the difference in his class experiences between his former and current schools.
“You just have to actually go [to class] in person, just stuff like that,” Graham said. “At Notre Dame, obviously, everybody knows how it is with academics.”
Former Buckeye linebacker Steele Chambers and 2023 Ohio State graduate pushed back on X.?
“I’ve got about $500 worth of parking tickets and lingering carpal tunnel that says otherwise. We had to go to class #Buckeyes,” Chambers posted.
At the center of the debate is a broader question about what it means to be a student-athlete at Ohio State, an experience former Buckeyes said is shaped by personal choices, demanding schedules and institutional support systems.?
Chambers, who graduated with a degree in finance, said it was Graham’s decision not to go to in-person classes at Ohio State.
“You can schedule however you want, so you could probably be 100% in person now or do 100% online, it’s kind of your preference,” Chambers said. “If he’s saying that he didn’t have to go to class, that’s because he chose not to go to class. He’s probably doing all online, or he’s just skipping.”
Paris Johnson Jr., who graduated from Ohio State in 2022 with a degree in journalism before becoming a 2023 first-round pick for the Arizona Cardinals, thought taking classes in person enhanced his Ohio State experience. He estimated that 80% of his classes were in person.
“It was probably the best decision I could have made being in person, because otherwise if you’re a football player or any other sport and you’re purely online like a lot of kids nowadays are, it’s like you’re missing out on the college experience,” Johnson said. “You’re almost employed to just play football and go home.”
Chambers said that for other players, like former wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., online classes can be beneficial to avoid disruptions.??
“At that point [Harrison Jr.] should probably take a few online classes because he’s not going to get anything done whenever half the class is trying to ask for your autograph or something,” Chambers said.?
Former players described that during the in-season autumn semester, their schedule consisted of morning classes and afternoon practice.
“Some days we’d have workouts early in the morning, if not we’ve got class scheduled between 8 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., so we could have classes anytime between that period,” Chambers said. “Once it got to 1:30 p.m., we couldn’t have any more classes because we practiced at 2:30 p.m.”
Kourt Williams II, a 2023 communication graduate of Ohio State, said his in-season daily routine on practice days would have him waking up at 5 a.m. to get to the Woody Hayes Athletic Center to eat and do rehab before having classes from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. After lunch he would go back to the team’s facility for practice at 2 p.m. Around 6 p.m. he would have tutoring or head home to do homework.
Williams said he was helped by the Student-Athlete Support Service Office, which is tasked with supporting all student-athletes with their academic engagement, including time management, tutoring and organizational structure.?
“The SASSO department pretty much runs our academics, so they’re the ones that keep tabs on everything,” Williams said. “If we miss anything, they’re the ones that are telling coach [Ryan] Day and our position coach, and they’re going to be on us pretty hard. They don’t mess around with that stuff; we’ve got to stay on top of everything.”
Williams said he doesn’t think the SASSO department gets enough credit for the help it provides student-athletes.?
“It’s not an easy job,” Williams said. “They spend a lot of hours with us and a lot of late nights helping us, tutoring us.”
While the Buckeyes were committed to on-field success, they were also focused on academic achievement. Chambers, Johnson and Williams all earned Academic All-Big Ten Conference honors while at Ohio State.?
During the 2023-24 academic year, Ohio State had a 1,000 Academic Progress Rate score, which was the highest in Division 1 football for the second straight year. The APR measures student-athletes’ eligibility and retention.
For former Buckeyes, the classroom experience ultimately came down to accountability, not accommodation—no matter how demanding the schedule or how high-profile the athlete.
“When it’s due at midnight, [Carmen] Canvas doesn’t care who you are,” Johnson said.
