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AJ Hawk returns to Ohio State as College GameDay celebrity guest picker
By Andrew Olson
Published:
AJ Hawk is back in Columbus on Saturday.
Hawk played linebacker for Ohio State from 2002-05, but he’s not just back on campus to cheer on his alma mater in Saturday’s College Football Playoff clash against Tennessee. Hawk is the celebrity guest picker for the special CFP edition of College GameDay on OSU campus Saturday morning.
Hawk is sure to receive a warm welcome back on campus. To begin his career, he was part of OSU’s 2002 BCS national championship squad and finished with a spectacular 2005 season that saw him earn Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, the Lombardi Award, and Unanimous All-American honors. It was also his third consecutive season being named first-team All-Big Ten.
After Ohio State, Hawk would play professionally from 2006-16. He was the No. 5 overall pick in the 2006 NFL Draft, selected by the Green Bay Packers.
Hawk remained with the Packers through the 2014 season, collecting a Super Bowl ring for the team’s win in XLV over the Pittsburgh Steelers. He also spent time with the Cincinnati Bengals (2015) and Atlanta Falcons (2016) before announcing his retirement in January 2017.
In retirement, Hawk has become a media analyst, taking on a prominent role on GameDay analyst Pat McAfee’s show.
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.
