Former Ohio State safety Jordan Fuller became the third Buckeye defensive back to be selected in the 2020 NFL Draft when he was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams with the No. 199 overall pick.
Welcome to the Rams secondary, @J_Fuller4‼️ pic.twitter.com/ua6Th111lj
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) April 25, 2020
Fuller joined fellow former Ohio State defensive backs Jeff Okudah and Damon Arnette, as well as defensive teammates Chase Young, DaVon Hamilton and Malik Harrison and J.K. Dobbins and Jonah Jackson from the offense, as the eighth Buckeye to hear his name called.
A native of Old Tappan, N.J., Fuller was the exemplary student-athlete at Ohio State, earning all-conference honors in each of his three seasons as a starter as well as Academic All-American accolades.
After playing on special teams in 2016, Fuller earned his first starting spot at safety in 2017 opposite Damon Webb. He recorded 70 tackles, including a team-high 57 solo stops, along with three tackles for loss, two pass breakups and two interceptions, earning third-team All-Big Ten honors for the 12-2 Buckeyes.
As a junior in 2018, Fuller became a captain and once again excelled on the field for the 13-1 Rose Bowl champions. The scholar-athlete posted 81 tackles, tying Harrison for the team lead, with a team-high 61 solo tackles. Fuller added 2 ½ TFL and two fumble recoveries, with four pass breakups and one interception in coverage, garnering second-team All-Big Ten honors.
Fuller adjusted to a new role in a new defense fluidly as a senior, excelling for the nation’s No 1 pass defense (156.0 yards per game) to earn a spot on the All-Big Ten First Team. The Old Tappan product posted 62 tackles, including 40 solo stops, which ranked second on the squad behind Harrison’s 49.
Breaking up four passes and picking off two more, Fuller again provided stability in the back end of the Buckeye defense in its first season under co-coordinators Jeff Hafley and Greg Mattison. One of those interceptions could have been a lot more memorable if his 80-yard touchdown return had not been called back for a block-in-the-back penalty.
Jordan Fuller interception, though the touchdown is called back on a block in the back pic.twitter.com/wRen7SalW9
— Buckeye Sports Bulletin (@Buckeye_Sports) October 6, 2019
The three-year starter also recovered one fumble for the 13-1 Buckeyes, but he had another one that he scooped and scored against Clemson in the CFP Semifinals that will live in infamy among Ohio State faithful, because it was overturned after a video review.
Jordan Fuller seemingly pulled off a game-changing play for Ohio State, with this fumble recovery for a touchdown.
That is, until replay review decided that Justyn Ross did not have possession of the ball in the first place. #CFBPlayoffs #FiestaBowl pic.twitter.com/GJu5WLI2eq
— Christopher Boan (@cgboan) December 29, 2019
Prior to Ohio State, Fuller was the Gatorade New Jersey player of the year and the NJ.com player of the year as a senior at Old Tappan.
The four-star prospect had rankings as high as the No. 2 athlete in the nation by 247Sports and No. 9 by ESPN, with Scout ranking him as No. 9 cornerback.
He helped lead Old Tappan to a record of 29-5 between 2013-15, including a 12-0 season in 2015 when the Golden Knights won their first state title in 30 years.
Each of Fuller’s coaches have raved about the safety in length. Ohio State head coach Ryan Day was among those who has great respect for Fuller.
“He does everything the way you want your son to do it. If you had a daughter, you’d want her to marry him.”
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