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Ohio State’s Noah Spence declared permanently ineligible; next stop NFL Draft?

By Peter Smith

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Ohio State defensive end Noah Spence has been declared permanently ineligible by the Big Ten and will be unable to continue his collegiate football career in Columbus.  Spence was suspended for the Orange Bowl for testing positive for ecstasy.  He then failed another drug test in September that caused him to be suspended again.  Now, he is unable to play another down for the Buckeyes, though the school will allow him to continue his education should he choose that path.

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Spence is faced with an interesting choice as he is unable to play football for the Buckeyes, so he has a few choices.  He could declare for the 2015 NFL Draft or he could transfer and play at a different school outside of the Big Ten and more likely at the FCS level.  The other option is to stay at Ohio State to finish out his education and not play football for a year, much like Tyrann Mathieu did in his final year at LSU.

When he has been on the field, Spence has shown the ability to be a dynamic pass rusher as a defensive end or outside linebacker.  As a sophomore, the 6’3″ 252lb Spence recorded 7.5 sacks in and 14 tackles for loss in 13 games.  There is basically one season of film for scouts to look at should he decide to declare for the draft in what should be a loaded class at that particular position.

Additionally, there are some red flags with drugs that could make teams hesitant to draft Spence and force him to try to make the team as an undrafted free agent.  Going to another school could allow him to put more quality tape out for teams to see as well as give him time to keep him out of trouble.  Spence has a few weeks to make his decision on whether or not to declare for the draft.

This tweet from Spence may give a strong hint that he already knows how he wants to proceed, but it is not binding.

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