The Ohio State Buckeyes are officially headed to Pasadena for the Rose Bowl against Pac-12 champion Washington.
It’s a lot less certain whether one of their defensive standouts will be playing that day.
Sunday afternoon, redshirt junior defensive tackle Dre’Mont Jones was asked whether he planned to play in the game and said just, “We’ll see.”
Jones has been a star in the middle of the line for the Buckeyes this season, recording 8.5 sacks on the year.
He has also scored a pair of touchdowns. One was an interception return in the win over TCU, the other was a fumble recovery at Michigan State.
Jones has widely been projected as a first-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, with some mock drafts having him go as high as No. 5 overall.
If he does choose to sit out, this would be the second straight season with a Buckeye defensive star sitting out a New Year’s Six bowl game.
Cornerback Denzel Ward chose not to play in the Cotton Bowl last season, and then went 4th overall to the Cleveland Browns.
The news is much better for another potential OSU first round pick, quarterback Dwayne Haskins.
Sunday afternoon, he was asked whether he had thought about skipping the Rose Bowl.
“Nah, I’m playing in the game,” Haskins said.
Junior defensive end Nick Bosa already left the team earlier in the year to rehab an abdominal injury and prepare for the NFL Draft.