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The Ohio State Buckeyes hold up an “O” while singing Carmen Ohio after the Ohio State spring game on April 17. Credit: Mackenzie Shanklin | Photo Editor

As the Buckeyes battled through their third week of preseason camp, head coach Ryan Day wrangled the team together for a road trip to football paradise. 

The Buckeyes took a two-hour bus trip north to Canton, Ohio, and the Pro Football Hall of Fame Thursday. The trip consisted of a practice at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium and a tour through the Hall of Fame museum. 

Having visited the Hall of Fame with his son in the spring, Day called it a great chance for his team to learn the history of the game. 

“I just thought it would be a great opportunity for our guys to get up there and see it and be around it,” Day said. “It was kind of one of those things you don’t forget once you’ve been there before.”

The trip also served as a change of pace for the Buckeyes, who had gone through the slog of the first two-and-a-half weeks of preseason camp. 

“I thought it was a great change of scenery for our guys,” Day said. “They just took great care of us. Had a little presentation for us for about 15 minutes about the game and what it meant.”

The Buckeyes had the opportunity to see all 11 former Ohio State football players in the Hall, along with president and CEO of the Pro Football Hall of Fame David Baker. 

For a pair of Buckeyes, the trip to the Hall served as a family reunion of sorts. 

Freshman wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. and linebacker Jalen Pace stopped to take a quick picture with the busts of their fathers — Marvin Harrison Sr. and Orlando Pace, who was an All-American offensive lineman for the Buckeyes. 

As Ohio State preseason camp winds down, Day said the trip was imperative for the team to learn about the best of the best in the football world. 

“It was really good for our guys just to get a feel for excellence when you’re there, because of the great players who are in the Hall of Fame, but also just what the game means,” Day said. 

Redshirt freshman defensive back Cameron Martinez echoed Day’s sentiment and revealed that landing in the Hall of Fame is an ultimate goal for him. 

“Just the historic people, the people that you grew up watching, and just seeing them in the Hall of Fame and how important and how big of a deal that is, it’s definitely a dream of mine as well,” Martinez said. “It kinda gave some motivation and reassurance for how much I love this game.”