Ohio State 2018-2022 WR - Kamryn Babb

Ryan Day says he asked Kamryn Babb if he really wanted to keep playing after his 4th ACL tear, but Babb didn’t want to give up.

“I was like, ‘Kam, this is gonna be a hard road back, man. Are you sure you want to do this?’” Babb took 24 hours and told Day he wanted to keep going.

— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) November 17, 2022

 

Ryan Day on Kam Babb: "We're so caught up in winning championships and games, this is what the college experience is about, is young men. ... Even if he didn't have that moment, he's still done so much for Ohio State."

— Griffin Strom (@GriffinStrom3) November 17, 2022

 

"This is my calling, to be a motivation for others."

That's what Kamryn Babb (@kamm_o) told Ryan Day about not wanting to give up after his 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘵𝘩 ACL tear. @BTNJourney shares the @OhioStateFB captain's inspiring story.

📍 @AutoOwnersIns pic.twitter.com/sX6sylJwzW

— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) November 24, 2022

"He means so much to everybody."

Not many players are voted team captain without playing. @OhioStateFB has picked Kamryn Babb (@kamm_o) twice.@BTNJourney x @AutoOwnersIns pic.twitter.com/6Hd3WlCGYN

— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) November 25, 2022

He had four ACL tears, but never gave up.

Six years after his last catch, as a junior in high school, Kamryn Babb got his opportunity a couple weeks ago. @BTNJourney spotlights the 2x @OhioStateFB captain's emotional and inspiring first career TD.

📍 @AutoOwnersIns pic.twitter.com/h8ZesZybR4

— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) November 25, 2022

 

Ohio State wide receiver Kamryn Babb won’t use final year of eligibilityhttps://t.co/PLboqnS2XJ

— Lettermen Row (@LettermenRow) January 17, 2023

 

Kamryn Babb chose to move on from football due to continued knee issues but says he’ll “cherish and be a Buckeye for life” and hopes to continue inspiring others in his next step. https://t.co/RWehhIwINk

— Eleven Warriors (@11W) February 7, 2023

 

Former Ohio State wide receiver Kamryn Babb is now an Ohio State employee, joining the athletic department’s @EDSLInstitute as a program coordinator: https://t.co/BvoQFTTgBt

— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) February 13, 2023

 

BABB'S NEXT STEPS. Ohio State athletics and the Eugene D. Smith Leadership Institute have developed the "NextGen" program designed to prepare student-athletes for a career within athletics at colleges and universities nationwide.

This year's student-athletes are headlined by the incredible Kamryn Babb, who agreed to a role within the Ohio State athletic department a few weeks after the 2022 football season ended. With his involvement now officially official, the leadership institute announced Babb will participate in the full-time, paid opportunity within NextGen.

According to Ohio State's press release, the NextGen Program is a structured, rotational development program created to provide experience and skill development necessary to position student-athletes to succeed in a career within intercollegiate athletics. Student-athletes will perform two six-month rotations, followed by one 12-month rotation across various units within the department of athletics.

“We are excited to launch the NextGen program through the Leadership Institute,” senior associate athletics director Carey Hoyt said. “This program will be the first of its kind created for student-athletes who want to work in college athletics. The program will expose graduates to the various units that make up the department of athletics. As positions open in the department, our NextGen Buckeyes will be uniquely positioned to transition into a permanent, full-time role at Ohio State. We are looking forward to providing these opportunities for our student-athletes and creating a pipeline of talented individuals who truly understand what it means to be a Buckeye.”

Babb will be accompanied by six other Buckeyes in the NextGen program: Marcus Ernst (baseball), Elexis Edwards (women's gymnastics), Brooke Shields (cheerleading), Ashley Turner (women's lacrosse) and Katleen Jones and Lucia Marzal Martinez (women's tennis).

A top-100 recruit in the class of 2018, Babb used to believe football would be his life-long career. But after suffering multiple torn ACLs at Ohio State, that door closed following five seasons with the Buckeyes, leading the St. Louis, Missouri, native to search for new passions, which led him to the NextGen program.

“I chose the NextGen program because I felt like it would help me transition from being a student-athlete to the professional world,” Babb said. “I never really knew what I wanted to pursue after football and I’m still searching for the passions I want to pursue. I believe this program will give me, and the rest of my cohort, an opportunity to explore different jobs within the athletics department.”

“I want to thank Gene Smith for creating this opportunity because it’s a testimony to what it means to be a Buckeye. ... So many great people poured into me during my time as a student-athlete and now I get to give back to this great university in the same way through the NextGen Program. Getting an opportunity to grow off the field, right here in the athletics department, is what makes Ohio State a special place.”

This rocks.

Babb has always been one of my favorite Buckeyes. His on-field production was minimal – one reception for 8 yards and one memorable touchdown – but his impact on the Ohio State football program was (and still is) incalculable.

With the way Babb carries himself, I don't doubt that he will have the same impact on those he works with in the NextGen program over the next two years. I wish him the best of luck.