WATCH: Former Ohio State player throws out first pitch at Detroit Tigers game
Former Ohio State defensive tackle Tyleik Williams was one of the 14 Ohio State football players taken in this year's draft, and he landed in an uncomfortable spot if you will, up in Michigan with the Detroit Lions when they selected him with the No. 28 pick in the first round. He isn't the first -- nor will he be the last -- former Buckeye to play his professional ball at TSUN (Chris Spielman anyone), but he'll have to make a good impression or perhaps face the wrath of those who loved to root against him in college.
Advertisement
One way to do that is to make the rounds in the community, and Williams was doing just that over this past weekend by not only attending a Detroit Tigers baseball game but by throwing out the first pitch. It wasn't a seed thrown to the plate, but rather a smooth and soft delivery that at least won't get any viral moments, though it was a bit high. If you haven't seen Williams' first pitch against the Cubs on Sunday, get a look here thanks to the Detroit Tigers' "X" (formerly Twitter) account.
There are several former Buckeyes getting comfortable in their new environments and cities in the NFL, and as more of these moments are made available, we'll continue to bring them to you.
Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes and opinion. Follow Phil Harrison on X.
This article originally appeared on Buckeyes Wire: Former Ohio State football defender throws out first pitch in Detroit

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


USA Today
12 minutes ago
- USA Today
41 days until Saints season opener: Every player to wear No. 41
Alvin Kamara highlights a short but accomplished list of players who have worn No. 41 The New Orleans Saints are down to 41 days before their 2025 season opening game against the Arizona Cardinals. New coach Kellen Moore and his Saints will host that matchup in the Superdome to kick off their 59th NFL season. Wearing No. 41 is a familiar face, New Orleans great Alvin Kamara, who is only the ninth player in franchise history to wear that number. Here is a look at each player who did it. Bob Newland was the first one to don 41 for the Saints and the first New Orleans draft choice to do it. A Round 7 selection in 1971, Newland played with the Saints for his only four NFL seasons. In that time, he caught 124 passes for 1,877 yards and 8 scores over 56 games. John Gilliam, the 52nd overall draft choice in 1967 (2nd round), is most famous for returning the opening kickoff in franchise history for a touchdown. Gilliam wore No. 42 during 1967 and 1968 with New Orleans. He returned to the Saints for his final NFL season in 1977, wearing No. 41 for those 10 games and 11 receptions for 133 yards. Jimmy Rogers made the Saints as an undrafted rookie in 1980. Rogers remained with the team for five years and 72 games, the fourth longest stretch for any Saint to wear No. 41. He was mostly a backup and special teams contributor, but had 957 yards from scrimmage with 5 scores. Toi Cook joined the vaunted "Dome Patrol" defense as an eighth-round choice in the 1987 NFL draft. Cook was a Saint for seven years and 101 games, the third longest stretch of any 41 in franchise history. Over that span, he had 16 interceptions, with 2 returned for touchdowns. He also added 4 sacks and 3 fumble recoveries. Cook and Dome Patrol linebacker Rickey Jackson both moved on to the San Francisco 49ers in 1994, where they helped the 49ers to a Super Bowl XXIX championship. Roman Harper is the highest drafted player by New Orleans to wear No. 41. The Alabama Crimson Tide star was a second round choice in 2006, the 43rd overall selection. He was with the Saints until 2014 before moving on with the Carolina Panthers. In 2016, Harper came back to New Orleans for the final year of his 11-year NFL career. Harper played 124 regular season games with the Saints, tops among all players to wear No. 41. He had 7 interceptions, including a touchdown return, along with 15 fumbles forced and 17 sacks while averaging 68 tackles per season. In 2020, Harper was inducted into the Saints Hall of Fame. If he plays at least 10 games this season, Alvin Kamara will pass Harper for the most games played by a Saint in the 41 jersey. It will be fitting. Kamara already holds several team career records. He is the New Orleans all-time leader in rushing yards, rushing touchdowns, total touchdowns total yards, as well as receptions, receiving yardage, and receiving scores by a running back. A Round 3 choice from the Tennessee Volunteers in the 2017 NFL draft, Kamara is a lethal all-purpose threat that has terrorized defenses through 115 games of an eight-year career. He has earned five Pro Bowl bids and was the 2017 Offensive Rookie of the Year. Expect Kamara to continue to be the centerpiece in Kellen Moore's New Orleans offense in 2025.

USA Today
12 minutes ago
- USA Today
Ranking the NFL's new alternate helmets for the 2025 season
And you can get yours 🤩Shop Now ➡️ Beginning with the 2022 season, the NFL allowed teams to add an alternate helmet to their uniform options. Since then, we've seen some slick helmets pop up across the league, with the trend continuing in 2025 where several teams have unveiled second helmets for the upcoming season. That includes some slick throwbacks sure to give fans a rush of nostalgia. Below is ranking of each helmet revealed so far — independent of the full uniform — judged by style, creativity, nostalgia or simply how much I would want to rock each one myself. We'll update this ranking as more helmets are revealed. 1. Pittsburgh Steelers I'm a fan of the color yellow when it's done right -- which usually means pairing it with black. That's exactly what the Steelers did with these throwback yellow shells with the black stripe down the middle and the classic Steelers logo on one side. The gray facemask is a nice touch too. These are beautiful. 2. New Orleans Saints You're welcome. It's the small details that really take this helmet over the top for me, like the tiny black specks in the white paint and the gold stripe down the middle filled out with a bunch of the little Saints fleur-de-lis logos. This is much better than the black alternate they rolled out a couple years ago. 3. Buffalo Bills It's beautiful. 😍 | #BillsMafia These bright reds actually look a lot cooler than I remember back in the days, which is a sign of nostalgia done well. The Bills gave us something to miss. 4. Cleveland Browns freshen up the phone screens 📲@DUDEwipes | #DawgPound Listen, the helmets aren't the problem with these terrible new uniforms. Are they the flashiest shells in the league? No. But I'm a sucker for a good matte paint, and the shiny stripe livens them up a bit. I especially like that the Browns are actually making their helmets, ya know, brown. The white chin strap and bumpers add a nice contrast that the uniforms lack. 5. Washington Commanders Weaving past and presentWe're adding back the Super Bowl Era threads to our uniform rotation It's hard to give out nostalgia points for these semi-throwbacks considering the reasons they had to abandon the original helmet — and logo — in the first place (and I never loved the burgundy and gold color scheme to begin with). But I'll admit these helmets do at least strike a nice balance of past and present. 6. Los Angeles Chargers the best got better. again. For a logo as cool as the lightning bolt, I've always thought these dark blue Chargers helmets were way too boring. I didn't like them much when LaDainian Tomlinson did his best to make them look cooler than they actually are, and I don't like 'em all that much now. 7. Green Bay Packers Engineered for legends in the making If we were only giving out cool points, then the Packers would rank a lot harder simply for the effort and detail that went into turning the leatherheads into an actual modern helmet. But on looks alone, I can't rank these ugly helmets any higher than this.


USA Today
12 minutes ago
- USA Today
Ranking the 25 best Oregon Ducks since 2000: No. 4 — Royce Freeman
Over the last 25 years, the Oregon Ducks have been one of the single best teams in all of college football, sitting near the top of the sport for the better part of a quarter-century. Since 2000, Oregon has compiled an overall record of 239-83 (.742), with just two losing seasons during that span. They've been to 24 bowl games, won three Rose Bowls, been to a pair of College Football Playoffs, and appeared in two National Championships. They've seen a Heisman Trophy winner in Marcus Mariota and had 99 players selected in the NFL Draft. It's safe to say that when looking at the nation's best in this millennium, Oregon belongs in the conversation. But who are the players who helped get Nike University into that conversation? That's a different question entirely. To celebrate the quarter-century mark, we're going to dive into that question over the next month as we approach the start of the 2025 season. The Ducks have had hundreds of memorable and beloved players over the years, many of whom will live on forever in some way. But who is the best of the best? That answer, of course, is subjective. When reviewing the numbers and conducting our research, we took several factors into account: career statistics, overall impact and success, legacy, fan adoration, and NFL success. Boiling 25 years of Oregon football down to 25 players is no easy task, and not one that we took lightly. Dozens of players were left on the cutting room floor who deserve a spot in the top 25, and at some point, subtracting names off the list started to feel like pulling teeth. But in the end, we were left with 25 players, whom we will honor over the next few weeks. If you want to catch up, let's take a look at how we've gotten to where we're at in the rankings: Today, let's continue with No. 4 — Rolls Royce, Royce Freeman. Player Overview If it's at all possible to be underrated at No. 4, Royce Freeman might be. LaMichael James and Kenyon Barner might receive more headlines, but Freeman belongs in the conversation as one of the best running backs in Oregon history. He was one of the top players in the Pac-12 for his entire four-year career. He started in his first game ans an freshman and never looked back. At 6-foot and 238 pounds, Freeman was like a bowling ball rolling downhill, and defenders did not want to get in the way. Who could blame them? No one in the conference found themselves in the end zone more times than Freeman. Royce Freeman Career Stats 51 games, 947 carries, 5,621 yards (5.9 ypc), 60 TD Royce Freeman Best Single Season 2015: 283 carries, 1,836 yards (6.5 ypc), 17 TD Royce Freeman's Historical Records Royce Freeman NFL Draft Freeman was selected in the third round (71st overall) in the 2018 NFL draft by the Denver Broncos. Royce Freeman NFL Success Freeman had a good two seasons with the Broncos before being bounced around from team to team. His best season came in his rookie year as he gained 521 yards and scored five touchdowns. Unfortunately, roster decisions seem to have derailed Freeman's career. He had a brief stint with the Rams in 2023 where he scored twice, but was eventually released. He was on the Cleveland practice squad in 2024, but never played a game with the Browns. He is currently on the Rams once again with hopes of making their roster this season. Royce Freeman's Lasting Legacy When Freeman signed with the Ducks, he was among the highest-rated offensive recruits to come to Eugene at the time and he definitely did not disappoint. He turned out to be one of the greatest Ducks of all time. Freeman was a key contributor to the Ducks' national championship run in 2014, and he only got better from there. He paved the way for the likes of CJ Verdell, Byron Cardwell, Bucky Irving, and Jordan James. While Freeman may not have garnered the fan adoration of a LaMichael James or Jonathan Stewart, his stats speak for themselves. He was truly a dominant back who will live on in Oregon's history books forever. Contact/Follow @Ducks_Wire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oregon Ducks news, notes, and opinions.