Tight end sophomore Cade Stover leaves the field after Ohio State’s spring game.Credits: Katie Goode | Assistant Photo Editor
Growing up in Mansfield, Ohio, Cade Stover was known for several things.
Standing 6 feet 4 inches tall and weighing 255 pounds, his football skills earned him a scholarship on the Ohio State University roster in 2019.
But in the Stover family, working on the family farm isn’t an extracurricular activity, it’s a daily responsibility.
“We have cattle. We grow corn. We farm alfalfa, so we do all sorts of things,” Stover said. “I think you’ve probably touched on some of the work that’s on the farm.”
Stover’s latest job was the one appointed to him on August 13th. Six captains voted among his teammates.
Before beginning his Buckeye career, Stover helped his parents run a farm and his family owns two butcher shops, one in his hometown of Mansfield and another in Powell. .
“If you think of a farmer, you think of a country bastard,” Stover said. “I mean, you’re a blue-collar tough guy.”
For Stover, that person is his father, Trevor Stover.
“How he handles business, how he handles issues on the farm, whether a cow gets sick, if there’s a mechanical problem, all sorts of things. “There’s mental toughness, there’s physical toughness. Tough people have a presence that they want to be around.”
Cade Stover said he grew up watching his father wake up around 5am, come home around 7pm that night, and continue to work hard to keep the family farm running.
Cade Stover said his father encouraged him to pursue his passion for athletics as he pursued his own football career. I understood. He played tight end on his green bowling in his 1990s.
“He knew football. I mean, to be honest, he saw things I hadn’t seen in me before anyone else. He always knew,” Stover said. Told. “Even if you used to make hay bales or cut hay, lift it up, then come back and try again.” Not once. It was always “go there”. Be an athlete. do your thing it was always good. ”
Cade Stover was elected Ohio Mr Football 2018 before arriving in Ohio as a linebacker.
He spent most of his first three seasons in the program on defense before turning to tight end in 2021, but returned to linebacker in the Rose Bowl. Recorded.
“Cade worked really hard,” head coach Ryan Day said on Aug. 11. He’s athletic for a big player, has great ball skills, and in the off-season he’s been working hard on his route running and catching the ball, so that’s great. ”
Offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson said Cade Stover was “one of the guys on our team” and praised how he maintained consistency in his play on the field and his leadership off the field.
Alumnus Mitch Rossi, who practices in Wilson’s tight end room, said Cade Stover is different from most Buckeyes in “many ways,” but has noticed his consistency. So are Wilson and his teammates.
“I can tell you he’s had a really good upbringing. He’s the guy I want to be the Foxhole type of guy, so he’s not going to blame me,” Rossi said. I have a job and I can trust him.It’s great to have him there.”
Cade Stover will focus primarily on tight ends for the 2022 season, which begins with a Top 5 matchup against No. 5 Notre Dame on September 3 at Ohio Stadium.
Boasting an imposing physique and physique on the field, Cade Stover’s leadership stems from his family farm roots. He hopes to develop these roots into his own legacy, not just at Ohio State University, but beyond.
“Without my father and mother and those people, I’m nowhere, just to make them proud. That’s my number one goal,” Stover said. Being here for the team means knowing that if something goes down wherever you are, they know who will be with them.”
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