Buckeyes Now

Buckeye Breakfast: C.J. Saunders Denied Sixth Year, Sam Hart Season Canceled, No Ruling on Fall Championships, Evaluating OSU Draft Prospects

Saunders is disappointed not to be playing this year, but he'll still be around the program as a coach. Hart plans to early enroll, plus no decision yet from the NCAA on fall championships. And which Buckeyes are the highest rated NFL Draft Prospects? Find out below!

Brendan Gulick

Buckeye Breakfast: C.J. Saunders Denied Sixth Year, Sam Hart Season Canceled, No Ruling on Fall Championships, Evaluating OSU Draft Prospects
Buckeye Breakfast: C.J. Saunders Denied Sixth Year, Sam Hart Season Canceled, No Ruling on Fall Championships, Evaluating OSU Draft Prospects /

Rise and shine, Buckeye Nation! Each morning, we get you caught up on the latest news and information regarding the Ohio State Buckeyes and the college athletics world. Here are your headlines for August 5, 2020.

C.J. Saunders Denied a Sixth Year of Eligibility

C.J. Saunders received some disappointing news from the NCAA - his career is over. Saunders missed all of 2019 with a knee injury and had asked the NCAA for an additional year of eligibility. But his request was denied as the NCAA deemed that he did not meet the criteria for a medical hardship waiver.

Saunders was a captain for the 2019 season, despite not playing. He was a former walk-on who earned a scholarship two years ago. He finished his career with 27 catches for 294 yards and a touchdown. Head Coach Ryan Day says Saunders will be on the coaching staff this year in some capacity and he praised his commitment to the team in a conference call on Tuesday.

Class of 2021 Tight End Sam Hart to Early Enroll After Senior Season Postponed

Sam Hart also got some tough news on Tuesday - his high school career is over.

Hart is not only done with his high school football career, but he won't wrestle anymore either. He was a state champion wrestler at the 220-pound weight class after going a perfect 38-0 in dual matches last year. Hart was state runner-up as a sophomore in the same weight class.

He is now the third member of the Buckeye Recruiting Class of 2021 that won't play his senior season this fall, joining TreVeyon Henderson and Jordan Hancock.

NCAA Board of Governors Holds Steady on Fall Sports Championships Debate

Will there be NCAA championship tournaments this fall? Well, the NCAA Board of Governors decided ... not to make a decision ... for the second consecutive meeting.

The Division I Board of Directors is scheduled to meet on Wednesday. Perhaps its fair to remind folks that the NCAA doesn't operate sports, it operates championships. The schools and conferences operate the sports themselves. It seems like the NCAA isn't going to force anyone's hand here, but let the schools themselves decide if they're going to play this fall or not before making decisions about postseason tournaments.

In my opinion, I think its very likely that the Division II and Division III fall championship events are going to be canceled tomorrow. Most of the small school leagues around the country have already postponed competing until January 1, 2021. We'll see if the NCAA announces a decision on DI championships as well.

Evaluating Ohio State's 2021 NFL Draft Prospects

Rob Rang, longtime analyst for NFLDraftScout on the Sports Illustrated Network, ranked his top 10 Ohio State Buckeyes draft prospects for the 2021 draft. You can read up on them here, including the NFL comparison he gives for Justin Fields.

We hope you have a great day - and remember ... time and change will surely show, how firm thy friendship OHIO!

Stay tuned to BuckeyesNow and all of our social media outlets (@BuckeyesNowSI) on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for continued coverage!

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Brendan Gulick
BRENDAN GULICK

Brendan Gulick is the publisher for BuckeyesNow, Cleveland Baseball Insider and Cavs Insider on the FanNation Network. He is also an accomplished host and play-by-play voice on TV and radio, including on Big Ten Network and NCAA.com where he's called 45 NCAA national championships. Gulick is an update anchor and fill-in host at 92.3 The Fan in Cleveland, Ohio.

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