Looking at Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Carnell Tate, it’s hard to realize what the young chap had to go through in real life. Behind that endearing smile is some life-shaking grief that Tate will probably never recover from. But that’s life, folks! The 19-year-old athlete lost his biggest supporter to an unfortunate incident. Well, that did not stop him from raging across the gridiron. Maybe that’s because he had some immense support pouring for him from all around. His HC Ryan Day has been his biggest supporter. Did Tate take some time brooding over the loss? Not at all. Rather, he came up with one powerful homecoming feat. 

Growing up in Chicago, Tate went to Marist High School, where he played for one year. That’s where the seeds of an athlete have been planted within him. Tate then went on to make his school and hometown proud by committing to the IMG Academy in Florida. He then made quite a noise as a freshman at Ohio State, where the WR came up with 18 receptions for 264 yards and a touchdown. Things were going all well, but when does life go as planned? Tate’s life, initially, was all a bed of roses, thanks to his mother Ashley Griggs. In an interview, the WR shared about the mother-son bond: “She was my rock she’s like my best friend mom and everything and all in one.” Until one day, his world went topsy-turvy.

Cut to July 16, 2023, just before the ominous day, Tate spoke to his mother for the last time when she informed him that she was hanging out with some friends. Then the WR recalled what happened next: “Tomorrow morning my uncle called me, this was about like 2, 3 in the morning…she was around the same block we grew up on hanging with some friends..she was like actually walking across the street to her car and they said a car came down the street flying and start shooting and then she got hit. She died.” Yes, Tate definitely got crushed by sorrow as he confessed, asking the universe, “Why me? Why our family? Why my mom?” But seems like Tate has transformed the sorrow into his strength to make his mother boast a proud smile from up above the sky. 

How Carnell Tate rewrote the narrative with a hometown showdown

It was time for Tate to rise like a phoenix. And what better opportunity to do that other than the Buckeyes face-off against the Northern Wildcats? So he made the most use of the November 16 game. Ohio State’s 7-31 win against Northwestern was more than just another game for the WR. After all, it was a homecoming for Tate as he stepped foot in the native city of Chicago. So the celebration had to be grand!

The WR gifted the Buckeyes with two touchdown receptions. Not just this, the 6-foot-3 sophomore finished with four catches for 52 yards that made Day’s program’s winning streak of four back-to-back games even sweeter. The WR also gained praise by making a tough 14-yard catch. Now, we must not forget how HC Day played an important role in Tate’s rebound.

Definitely, the player’s loss left Ryan Day numb as he stated, “Nothing can prepare you for something like that…you know for the loss and you just feel like there’s nothing you can do.” But he ensured not to leave him in a mess. Instead, he assured Carnell Tate, “You know you’re here and that you’re part of a family a bunch of people that care about you and that are going to take care of you moving forward.” That’s what you call a tribute his mom would cherish!