Gill hopes for fresh start at BC
Wide receiver Jaelen Gill was going nowhere at Ohio State, so he decided to leave.
The 6-0, 195-pound, redshirt sophomore entered the transfer portal, caught the attention of some attractive Power 5 suitors and eventually settled on Boston College. Gill’s fortunes improved immeasurably on Tuesday when he was granted immediate eligibility by the NCAA for the 2020 season.
“I had some conversations with Florida, I had some conversations with North Carolina, I also spoke with Pitt, USC, Baylor,” said Gill during a Zoom conference meeting on Wednesday afternoon.
“Baylor was a big one and those were the schools I was communicating with. I felt I could make a big impact and I felt coming here, there were people I already know and had solid relationships with.
“I not only have an opportunity, but I feel like I will be taken care of. I really couldn’t say no to it.”
His decision to leave Ohio State required a lot more soul searching than most athletes that become depth chart casualties at their first choice.
Gill came of age among the Buckeyes. He was a fourstar recruit at running back at Waterville South High School in Waterville, Ohio, a short drive from Columbus.
The desire to play for Urban Meyer at a legendary Big 10 institution that enters each season in the national title picture was a powerful incentive, especially for a prep player born and raised in the culture.
Gill received the blessing of friends and family to live his dream at Ohio State. Those same people were there to support Gill when he came to the painful realization things weren’t working out at the university.
“I look at my time at Ohio
State as a definite learning experience and it’s a great program and I have nothing but love and respect for them,” said Gill. I was very deep in my commitment but as time went on at Ohio State, I thought the best decision for me and my family was to look elsewhere.
“I learned a lot from the guys that were around me and in front of me. I sat back and watched and learned as much as I could and there was a little pressure being a hometown kid. Ohio State is 15 minutes away and when I would come back people were asking questions like ‘how come you’re not playing?’”
Gill begins his stay at BC in a transitional period that was underway before the global COVID-19 pandemic shuttered college sports back in March.
Former Ohio State co-defensive coordinator and secondary coach Jeff Hafley was hired to replace Steve Addazio back in December and he brought some Buckeye assistants with him. That connection played a role in bringing Gill to
Chestnut Hill.
“I already had a solid relationship with coach Hafley and I had a good relationship with everybody on the staff,” said Gill. “Coach Hafley came up to me a lot at spring ball last year and he would just tell me all the time how much he thought of me and he thought I could be a pretty good player.
“Once I decided to look elsewhere, he was one of the first coaches, if not the first coach, to reach out to me. I knew what he was saying to me was stand up and honest and I felt comfortable and thought I would be taken care of.”
Meyer and offensive coordinator Ryan Day, who would move on the top Job after the 2018 season, recruited Gill as a combination slot receiver/H-back, a position he was qualified to fill.
But Gill had trouble finding his comfort zone in the Buckeye offense when he joined the roster in 2019 as a redshirt freshman. He caught six passes for 51 yards and one touchdown in four games, the score coming in a blowout win over Rutgers.
“Coach Meyer was really big on the H-back position and coach Day liked the H position as well but he was open to (me) being a receiver,” Gill said. “It was a big learning experience for me, the things I did at Ohio State. Coming here, I have a clean slate and a chance to change the whole narrative.”
Two events came together at the same time that compelled Gill to move on. Gill had a heart-to-heart with Buckeyes’ wide receiver coach Brian Hartline, who honestly explained his situation in less-than-encouraging terms. But Gill was intent on staying the course when the coronavirus ended spring ball in Columbus after the first practice.
“That was probably the biggest thing, not having that spring to be able to prove myself,” said Gill. “I was really looking forward to that, to be able to go out for spring practice and unfortunately the whole COVID thing happened.
“If we had spring ball, I would probably be back at Ohio State.”