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Curtis Samuel to leave Ohio State early, declare for NFL draft

Connor O'Gara

By Connor O'Gara

Published:

Curtis Samuel is gone. And for Ohio State, not in a good way.

The Buckeye H-back declared for the NFL draft.

Samuel became the top weapon on Ohio State’s up-and-down offense in 2016. Not only did Samuel lead the Buckeyes in receiving with 74 catches for 865 yards, he also ran for 771 yards.

The Brooklyn native was the only player in college football to exceed 700 yards in both rushing and receiving, which earned him All-America honors from multiple publications.

The first-team All-B1G selection was a finalist for the Chicago Tribune’s Silver Football Award, given annually to the conference’s best player. He also delivered the game-winning touchdown to beat Michigan in double overtime.

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The junior finished his career with 107 catches for 1,209 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Samuel’s departure came two days after Buckeye receiver Noah Brown announced his intentions to leave Columbus early for the NFL. Samuel became Ohio State’s fifth underclassman to declare for the NFL draft.

The deadline for underclassmen to declare for the draft is Jan. 16.

Connor O'Gara

Connor O'Gara is the senior national columnist for Saturday Tradition. He's a member of the Football Writers Association of America. After spending his entire life living in B1G country, he moved to the South in 2015.