COLUMBUS, Ohio — As Ohio State's freshmen took the field for the first official practice of their college careers on Monday, a familiar face stood off to the side for the newcomers-only gathering.
Maybe he was finishing up some extra work, or perhaps he just wanted to get a glance at his newest teammates, but regardless of his reasoning, it would have been hard to imagine Cardale Jones attending a non-mandatory practice—especially one with an 8:35 a.m. start time—a year ago.
Yet there Jones was, wearing a white LeBron James Nike "Witness" T-shirt with Beats by Dre headphones draped around his neck.