It’s now been 15 years since Ohio State won the 2002 national title, led by a sweater vested Jim Tressel, senior leader Craig Krenzel and freshman phenom Maurice Clarett.
With “College GameDay” headed to Columbus this weekend for the showdown between No. 5 Oklahoma and No. 2 Ohio State, we check in on what the starters and key coaches from the 2002 Buckeyes are doing now:
Offense
QB: Craig Krenzel — The team’s offensive MVP, Krenzel is back living in Columbus, OH, where he works for the Arthur Krenzel Lett Insurance Group and is a local radio commentator for the Buckeyes.
RB: Maurice Clarett — After flaming out of the NFL and serving three-and-a-half years in prison for robbery and concealed
weapons charges, Clarett has since turned his life around and is living in his hometown of Youngstown, OH, as a motivational speaker.
WR: Chris Gamble — After 9 pro seasons with the Carolina Panthers, Gamble retired and now appears to be living in West Palm Beach, FL.
WR: Michael Jenkins — Jenkins also played 9 seasons in the NFL and now resides outside Atlanta, GA, where he owns a gym called Crossfit Ecstatic.
TE: Ben Hartsock — After 10 years in the NFL with 5 different teams, Hartsock has settled down outside Atlanta, GA, where he is a sports agent for Priority Sports & Entertainment.
LT: Ivan Douglas — With his football career ending prematurely due to blood clots, Douglas now works for the Regional Transit Authority in Cleveland.
LG: Adrien Clarke — A two-year NFL pro, Clarke is a strength and conditioning coach for Pro Grade Performance in northeast Ohio.
C: Alex Stepanovich — Stepanovich had a 5-year NFL career and now appears to live outside Cleveland.
RG: Bryce Bishop — Bishop appears to be a public school teacher in his hometown of Miami, FL.
RT: Shane Olivea — Recently opening up about his addiction to painkillers and taking up to 125 Vicodin a day, Olivea is now looking to become a college football coach.
Defense
DE: Will Smith — Smith won Super Bowl XLIV and made the 2006 Pro Bowl with the New Orleans Saints but was tragically murdered in April 2016 in New Orleans in a road rage incident.
DT: Kenny Peterson — After 7 years in the pros, Peterson has settled down in Denver, where he works for eMedical LLC.
DT: Tim Anderson — Anderson is a high school history teacher near Canton, OH.
DE: Darrion Scott — Scott owns Scott Transportation Services in Atlanta, GA.
LB: Cie Grant — As of 2013, Grant lives in the Pittsburgh area, where he works as a safety official at an engineering company. He’s also very active on Twitter.
LB: Matt Wilhelm — Wilhelm spent 8 years in the NFL and is now living outside Cleveland, where he serves as an Ohio State and Browns TV and radio analyst.
LB: Robert Reynolds — Reynolds lives in Columbus and is an equipment salesman for the Columbus Equipment Company.
CB: Chris Gamble — See above.
CB: Dustin Fox — Like Wilhelm, Fox lives in Cleveland, OH, where he is a college football and Cleveland Browns TV and radio analyst.
FS: Donnie Nickey — After an 8-year NFL career, Nickey struggled with depression before turning his life around in 2014. He lives in Jackson, TN, and is the head football coach of its North Side High School.
SS: Mike Doss — Doss’ NFL career was cut short after just six seasons due to injuries and he’s now back in Columbus working for a medical device company called Zimmer Biomet.
Special Teams
P: Andy Groom — After a 1-year stint in the NFL, Groom lives in Columbus and works as an account manager for Stryker, which sells medical equipment to hospitals.
K: Mike Nugent — Nugent has spent the last 13 years in the NFL but his pro career appears in jeopardy after he was released by the New York Giants just last week.
Coaching Staff
Head Coach: Jim Tressel — Forced to resign as Ohio State’s head coach in 2011 over the program’s “Tattoogate” scandal, Tressel has been Youngstown State’s school president since 2014.
Offensive Coordinator: Jim Bollman — Bollman left Ohio State in 2011 and is now the offensive coordinator for Mark Dantonio at Michigan State.
Defensive Coordinator: Mark Dantonio — Michigan State’s head coach, Dantonio has become one of the most respected college football coaches in the business with a 109-59 career record despite the Spartans’ 3-9 record in 2016.
