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In a parallel universe, Maurice Clarett was Jeremiah Smith. Different position, different eras, different lives but shared experiences at the same age with similar talent and upside.
One — Clarett — is a faded memory to some, a 40-year-old former Buckeye whose one-and-done career at Ohio State was known as much for its off-field shame as its football excellence.
The other — Smith — is a former No. 1 overall recruit who has hijacked the sport the same way he has fleeced balls from defensive backs this season. Smith has become the second-leading receiver in the Big Ten with his one-handed catches vaulting him into the Heisman Trophy conversation.
Oh, to be 18 again.
Both stormed the gates of college football convention in their freshman seasons.
The former great and budding star cross paths every Tuesday. Clarett is the friendly former Ohio State running back sensation who visits the facility one day a week to help any way he can — speaking with coaches, counseling players, etc.
Some players know his story. Some don’t. It’s been that long.
“It’s like you’re warning somebody against something that can and will happen, but they don’t believe it can and will happen to them,” Clarett said.
So all he can do is teach, advise and warn.
It’s been 22 years since Clarett came out of Youngstown, Ohio, to help the Buckeyes win the 2002 national championship before flaming out before our eyes. There were academic issues. The NCAA came sniffing around. Finally, Ohio State kicked him off the team in 2003.
Today, Clarett is a successful entrepreneur having long ago pulled himself out of the depths of scandal. It seemed like a good time to ask his thoughts about Smith, who shares the same attributes, future and potential that…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/dont-be-in-a-rush-maurice-claretts-advice-to-jeremiah-smith-as-ohio-state-freshman-rises-to-superstardom/
Author : Dennis Dodd
Publish date : 2024-10-03 15:30:44
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