Ohio State Goes Down Memory Lane with Greg Oden Nod

On Tuesday, it was announced that Ohio State WR Jeremiah Smith would grace the cover of EA Sports College Football 26 alongside Alabama WR Ryan Williams.

In the Deluxe Edition, which also features S Caleb Downs and head coach Ryan Day, Smith will be in the front row.

Smith is the second Buckeyes athlete to appear on the cover a video game, preceded only by Greg Oden, who played basketball for the school during the 2006-07 season and appeared on EA Sports College Hoops 2K8.

The head-turning 7 foot freshman appeared in 32 games in his only season for the Buckeyes, averaging a near double-double with 15.7 points per game and 9.6 rebounds per game.

He was the No.

1 overall draft pick by the Portland Trail Blazers in the 2007 NBA Draft.

Similar to Smith, Oden put up astonishing numbers his freshman season, leading the league in multple categories.

He led the Big Ten in total rebounds (306), total rebounds per game (9.6), offensive rebounds (113), defensive rebounds (193; also led the NCAA), blocks (105), blocks per game (3.3), and field goal percentage (.616).

The 2006-07 Buckeyes, coached by Thad Matta, went 35-4 (15-1 Big East) and won the Big Ten Tournament championship that season.

They were the AP No.

1, advancing all the way to the March Madness final where the they fell to a Florida Gators team that featured Joakim Noah and Al Horford.

Also a freshman along side Oden that season, was G Mike Conley, who is still active in the NBA, playing for the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference finals.

Conley averaged 11.3 ppg and 6.1 assists per game for the Buckeyes that season.

Conley's career is a testament to what Oden's could have been had he avoided injury.

As for what Oden is doing these days, he joined his former head coach, Matta, at Butler University as an assistant coach in 2022, but left the position in October of 2024 to pursue other interests.

Today, he works as an athlete advisor at Edyoucore Sports & Entertainment..

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