Linebacker Tuf Borland Named Three-Time Ohio State Football Captain

Borland becomes OSU's second ever three-time captain along with J.T. Barrett.

Tuf Borland is now one of two players in Ohio State football history to be a three-time captain, joining former quarterback J.T. Barrett as Ohio State's second ever three-time captain.

"It's very humbling," Borland said in a conference call introducing the captains to the media on Tuesday. "I am honored to be with a guy like J.T. who was an unbelievable leader here. There is a huge responsibility that comes with being a captain and, in a sens, all eyes are on you every day."

The captains of the 2020 Ohio State Buckeyes football program.@wyattdavis53
@Tuf_Borland@WadeShaun2017@JHilliard47@justnfields@JonathonCooper7@josh_myers71#GoBuckeyes pic.twitter.com/ZvSDvThZdc

— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) August 4, 2020

The graduate middle linebacker was announced as a captain on Tuesday along with Wyatt Davis, Shaun Wade, Justin Hilliard, Justin Fields, Jonathon Cooper and Josh Myers.

Borland’s three-time selection shouldn’t come as a surprise, as coaches and players see him as a vital part of the Buckeye defense. The two-time Honorable Mention All-Big Ten honoree played in all 42 possible games the previous three years, which is especially impressive since he injured his Achilles tendon during practice in the spring of 2018. 

In the last three seasons he’s stayed consistent by finishing fourth or better on the Buckeyes' roster in total tackles. He's recorded 180 tackles in three years, including 15.5 tackles for loss with five sacks.

He was a key leader to an Ohio State defense that ranked first in the nation for total defense (259.7 yards/game), fourth in scoring defense (13.7 points/game) and ninth in rushing defense (103.7 yards/game) last year.

His academic accomplishments are just as impressive. In December 2019, Borland earned his degree in human development and family sciences. He’s been named Academic All-Big Ten three times and an OSU Scholar-Athlete four times.

Only the 2nd 3X Captain in program history ! Congratulations Tuf! Honored to work with you! #H2 #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/N5wubaTc4k

— Al Washington (@CoachWash56) August 4, 2020

Ohio State’s captain announcement arrived just one day before the Big Ten delivered its conference-only schedule amid COVID-19 concerns.

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