Very rarely it’s not the highlight reels or the big-game heroics—but the redemptive arcs, the quiet moments where past meets present, and healing begins. This one starts with a phone call from Ryan Day to a 41-year-old former Ohio State Buckeyes star whose relationship with the university had been marred by years of bad blood, misunderstandings, and legal battles since 2002. He was Jeremiah Smith before Smith himself. What came next? A 90-minute conversation that left the alum, red-faced and reflective, but ultimately, it forged a connection neither party knew they needed.

For those unfamiliar with Maurice Clarett, his legend began in 2002, when he bulldozed onto the college football scene as a freshman phenom. The running back from Youngstown, Ohio, rushed for 1,237 yards, 16 touchdowns, and helped deliver a national championship to Columbus. On the field, he was a freight train. Off it? A lightning rod. Yelling at his position coach, battling the NCAA over impermissible benefits, and eventually suing for early NFL Draft eligibility in 2004, Clarett’s time in scarlet and gray felt as tumultuous as it was brilliant. For two decades, the once-golden boy of Buckeye football had been estranged from the program he helped make great.

That’s were the 2024 CFP National Champion coach, Ryan Day comes in. Day has a knack for building relationships—whether with recruits, players, or, as Clarett would find out, alumni. As he joined the Jim Jackson Show podcast to reveal Day’s role. Reminiscing of the 90-min talk with coach Day set up by coach Trussell. “Coach Day had basically called me down to the facility,” Clarett recalled. “He’d been in Greece with his family, but once he got back, he made time to meet with me. I was a little hesitant because I didn’t want our interaction to feel manufactured. So when we sat down, he went right to it: ‘What’s your deal with Ohio State? What’s your deal with me?’”

The candor caught Clarett off guard, and he responded with equal honesty. “I told him, ‘Man, I don’t have an issue with you, but I want a relationship with the university.’ Times, you don’t know how to go about asking for stuff, so sometimes you bang on pots and pans to get people’s attention. But I said, ‘I just don’t know how to go about doing it.’” Ryan Day listened, and what followed was a moment of vulnerability that shifted the conversation. The OSU HC admitted the criticism the former #13 had hurled his way had weighed on him and his family. That admission hit Clarett like a truck.

“He actually made me feel embarrassed,” Clarett said, his voice tinged with remorse. “The same Venom that was being spewed to him from me, I used to hate when people did that to me. That thing actually caused depression for me. And when he talked about how all the criticism affected him and his family, I felt like an ass, to be honest with you.” It was a rare moment of self-awareness, a meeting of two men who’d both faced the wrath of Buckeye Nation and come out scarred but not broken.

Day, however, wasn’t there to dwell on the past. His purpose was to build a bridge. “He said, ‘I really called you in here because I got so much criticism from Buckeye Nation after viewing your story. I started to realize why you had your feelings toward Ohio State and the fanbase. Seeing where you’re at in your life, I actually respect it and would like to form a relationship with you.’” The former Denver Broncos, who never played in the league, spent nearly four years in prison for robbery and weapons convictions after a 2006 arrest. Even after his release, his connection to Ohio State was tenuous.

Since that conversation, Clarett has become a fixture around the program, attending games and practices, offering advice to current players, and even serving as a motivational speaker. His transformation from embattled alum to respected mentor is a testament to the power of forgiveness—and the willingness to grow. In many ways, his story mirrors Ohio State football itself: a program built on grit, reinvention, and the ability to overcome adversity.

As the Buckeyes celebrate another national championship, it’s fitting that one of their past stars has found his way back into the fold.

From bad blood to praising Ryan Day and OSU’s two-tailback system

The former Ohio State freshman phenom who caught 12 passes for 104 yards and two scores in the 2002 national championship win has come a long way. From dealing with drugs and depression to a motivational speaker and now even helping Ryan Day on the field. But the tread on Clarett’s 10-toe tires isn’t quite what it was back in 2002 when he took Buckeye Nation by storm. But back then, sharing reps wasn’t even a thought, let alone a reality.

“You didn’t have coaches splitting reps,” Clarett reflected. “It was just, whoever is the guy, is the guy. If you earned all the reps, you took them. The idea of having two guys wasn’t even a conversation.” Times have changed, though, and the Buckeyes’ current setup shows just how different things are now.

This season, OSU’s rotating tailback system has TreVeyon Henderson with 132 carries and Quinshon Judkins at 183. And while game carries are the stat fans love to dissect, Clarett points out that practice carries matter just as much, if not more. Those extra reps can pile up like unseen mileage on a car. “Look at TreVeyon over the last three weeks,” Clarett said. “He looks as fresh and fast as anyone did in August or September.”