Shaun Wade is on his way to the NFL.
The fourth-year Buckeye and second-year starter chose to go into the 2021 draft and announced via social media on Friday that he was going to be a pro.
Thank you Buckeye Nation !! pic.twitter.com/4jdX3V3g4m
– Shaun Wade (@ shaunwade24) 15 January 2021
It is no surprise that the corner of Ohio State has decided to officially go to the league. After exploring the possibility of going on trial after his third season, Wade returned for his red shirt junior year to increase his draft inventory and win a national championship.
Wade earned the third-team All-Big Ten honor as a first-year starter in 2019, which could serve as a corner kick for the Buckeyes. He moved outside for the 2020 season and entered the fall as a first-team All-American through the Associated Press.
Wade struggled all season in his first collegiate year as an outsider. These include being beaten all night by DeVonta Smith in the national championship game, an up-and-down sugar bowling performance against Clemson and a few touchdowns handed over to Penn State’s Jahan Dotson in Week 2.
But Wade still deserved a nod as an all-American consensus, in the mood that preceded the College Football Playoffs. He was named a first-team All-American by the Associated Press and Sporting News and made the second team list for the Football Writers Association of America.
However, this All-American honor is unlikely to improve his draft inventory, as he has slipped from a likely first-round pick to a second player in the most shocking drafts.
Wade, who said after the national championship game that he would consider returning but eventually decided it was time to get pro, becomes the first Buckeye underclass to officially announce that he is entering the 2021 NFL draft . The deadline for sub-classes to sign up for the draft is Monday.