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Xavier Johnson shares emotional reaction to earning ‘Block O’ honor

Paul Harvey

By Paul Harvey

Published:

Xavier Johnson is the latest to receive Ohio State’s “Block O” honor, a tradition that originally began in 2020. The tradition pays homage to William Willis, a Buckeye legend and trailblazing star.

Ohio State recently revealed a video of Johnson reacting to the honor. He admitted to being overcome with emotion when receiving the uniform in front of his teammates and being unable to fully articulate his thoughts.

“In that moment, I was overcome with emotion. I got up and was trying to articulate everything that was on my brain but couldn’t quite get everything out,” said Johnson. “I was overcome with gratitude for the Lord and for my family to receive such an honor was something that really filled my heart with joy.”

As a part of the video, Johnson sat down and expressed his gratitude for the honor. He particularly highlighted and thanked his family for their impact on his life.

“I want to publicly thank my family. A lot of times the person who’s getting all the accolades receives all the honor. At the end of the day, I wouldn’t be who I am without my village that raised me. They instilled in me the values that I hold so dearly to my heart today,” Johnson explained. “The value of hard work and faith first and foremost. The value of loving and being kind… They weren’t just told to me, they were shown to me through actions. For me to go ahead and receive all this attention without thanking my family, I would be remiss.”

Here’s the full video that highlights Johnson’s honor, including a special video message from the 2022 “Block O” recipient Kamryn Babb:

Paul Harvey

Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.