Despite Ohio State producing the second-most NFL players this season, the Buckeyes are on the verge of going five straight years without a Super Bowl champion on an active roster.
The last Buckeye to win a Super Bowl was Darron Lee with the Kansas City Chiefs five years ago. Since then, Ohio State has been absent from championship-winning rosters. Jordan Fuller was with the Los Angeles Rams when they won Super Bowl LVI, but he was on injured reserve. Now, with the Chiefs aiming for an unprecedented three-peat without any Buckeyes on their roster, Ohio State’s hopes rest solely on Parris Campbell and the Philadelphia Eagles.
Campbell’s Unexpected Journey to the Super Bowl
Campbell’s NFL career hasn’t gone as planned since being drafted in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft. Injuries plagued his first three seasons with the Indianapolis Colts, limiting him to just 15 total games from 2019-21. He finally had a breakout year in 2022, recording 63 catches for 623 yards and three touchdowns. However, his production dipped after signing with the New York Giants in 2023, where he managed only 20 receptions for 104 yards.
After leaving the Giants, Campbell signed with the Eagles but was cut before the season began. The setback nearly led him to retire.
“If this is the only opportunity that I have, to go be on a practice squad, I’m done with ball, and we’ll figure out what’s next,” Campbell recalled telling his family and agent in an interview with the Akron Beacon Journal.
However, Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni convinced him to stay on the practice squad. That decision has now led him to the biggest game of his career. Although he played in just five regular-season games with six catches for 30 yards and a touchdown, he has been on the active roster throughout the Eagles’ playoff run.
A Chance to Make History
Ohio State has not had a player actively contribute to a Super Bowl-winning team since Malcolm Jenkins started for the Eagles in 2018. With a win, Campbell would become the 33rd Buckeye to earn a Super Bowl ring and the first Ohio State player since 2016 to win as an active roster member.
Campbell, who redshirted during Ohio State’s 2014 national championship season, finished his college career in 2018 as a first-team All-Big Ten selection. His 90 catches that season set a school record at the time, later broken by Jaxon Smith-Njigba in 2021.
Super Bowl LIX kicks off at 6:30 p.m. Sunday in New Orleans and will air on FOX. If Campbell takes the field and the Eagles emerge victorious, he will etch his name in Buckeye history as the player who ended Ohio State’s Super Bowl drought.
