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Courtesy of Ohio State
JD Larson made the Ohio State football team as a walk-on this year. The Ventura High graduate, a tight end, caught the longest pass in the spring game.
Larson catches on as a walk-on at Ohio State
By Rhiannon Potkey, rpotkey@VenturaCountyStar.com
April 30, 2006
From the moment JD Larson (Ventura) stepped on campus at Ohio State, he was determined to earn a spot on the football team. Although he knew being a walk-on for such a tradition-rich program wouldn't be easy, he was willing to put in the work to make it possible.
"The drive and the goal the whole time was to play at this level because in my head I always knew I could," Larson said. "I am a pretty driven person, and nothing is really going to stop me if I just put my mind to it."
After spending a year hitting the weights and improving his speed, Larson was given his shot this spring and delivered.
In front of 63,000 fans during Ohio State's spring scrimmage on April 22, the 6-foot-4, 230-pound redshirt freshman tight end performed well on special teams and caught a 31-yard pass — the longest reception of the game.
But it was after the scrimmage when Larson received his biggest reward — word from the coaching staff he had secured a roster spot for the fall.
"It was just good for me to hear that because of how stressful it is not knowing if you are on the team and still doing all the work," Larson said. "I was really motivated to become a better football player and show what I could do."
Larson attempted to walk-on last year, but was told he needed to add some weight to his 200-pound frame. He worked out every day, and was up to 230 by the time tryouts arrived again in January.
From a field of 65 potential walk-ons, Larson was one of seven who survived the cuts and 6 a.m. practices to be selected for spring practice.
Having completed the 40-yard dash in 4.5 seconds and the 20-yard shuttle in 3.93, Larson says he is the fastest of
OSU's tight end corps.
But with three scholarship players on the depth chart, he knows there is still a lot to learn.
"I have to be realistic. My goal is to make a name for myself and just contribute in any way I can," he said. "Every workout I have to show the coaches everything I can. That is how you start out by making an impression in other ways."
It took Larson only a few days in Columbus to realize football is like a religion in the state.
"It's not really a sport, it's more of a cult," Larson said. "When the tight end dropped a pass in the Texas-Ohio State game, he went home and had 100 death threats on his facebook.com and cell phone. That is how big football is here."
But Larson isn't going to let the intensity of fans impact his focus.
"It's something you try not to think about," he said. "I think it will just motivate me not to be that guy getting those cell-phone calls."
When Larson sees the pictures of himself hauling in the pass in the spring game, he still has trouble believing they are real.
"It's crazy to see me in an Ohio State uniform with my name on the back," he said. "These are the guys I idolized the last few years. It's been a wild ride the last few months, but it's been really fun."
News and notes: Oregon State sophomore Cambria Miranda (Camarillo) was named Pacific-10 Conference Softball Player of the Week and co-USA Softball Player of the Week after leading the Beavers with a .556 average, five runs scored, five RBIs and three home runs in victories over top-ranked UCLA and Washington. Miranda continued her hot streak against Oregon, hitting a home run in each game of a doubleheader ... USC senior Blake Sharpe (Moorpark) went 4 for 4 with a double and an RBI in a 15-8 win over Washington. ... Cal State Northridge senior golfer Doug Miller (Westlake, Moorpark College) was a second-team All-Big West selection. ... University of Hawaii libero Alfred Reft (Oxnard) was named to the all-Mountain Pacific Sports Federation second team in volleyball. ... The local UC Irvine connection struck again in a victory over UC Santa Barbara. Chad Lundahl (Thousand Oaks) was 3 for 4 with three RBIs, Jaime Martinez (Hueneme) was 3 for 5 with three RBIs and three runs scored, Cody Cipriano (Westlake) was 2 for 4 with two RBIs and Ben Orloff (Simi Valley) drove in two runs. ... Kevin McCarroll (Oxnard College) is batting .352 with 43 hits and 30 RBIs in 37 games for Granview College. ... New York University volleyball player Christopher Schmidt (Newbury Park) was one of 35 student-athletes honored with the school's Athlete Academic Achievement Award. To earn the award, a student must be graduating with a grade point average of 3.3 or better and competed for a minimum of two years on an intercollegiate team.
TE J.D. Larson (official thread)
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