Sam Wiglusz’s college football journey hasn’t taken him far from home, but that doesn’t mean the journey hasn’t been a long one.
Coming out of high school, there weren’t a ton of opportunities for Wiglusz to continue his football career, which left him set on enrolling at Ohio State as a student. It was close to home and he had grown up a Buckeyes fan. Things developed, however, and Wiglusz was ultimately offered a preferred walk-on with the Buckeyes, which was a “no-brainer” decision for him.
Four years went by and Wiglusz didn’t see much game action for OSU, registering just three receptions in his four seasons. Still, he got faster, stronger, smarter, and said he became a better football player because of the time spent in the program.
He graduated in December 2021 and with two years of eligibility remaining, Wiglusz knew he wanted to continue playing. He just wasn’t sure where.
“I was kind of on the fence. I knew I wanted to take a fifth year but I wasn’t sure if I wanted to stay at Ohio State, or try and go somewhere else,” he told HERO Sports in a recent interview. “So, I stayed for that spring semester, did winter workouts, did spring ball, and toward the end of spring ball I thought it was best for me to give it a shot somewhere else.”
That somewhere else ended up being Ohio University in Athens — just 74 miles southeast of Columbus and 203 miles south of Wiglusz’s hometown of Brecksville, a suburb of Cleveland. A connection between OU tight ends coach Brian Metz and Buckeyes tight ends coach Keenan Bailey helped get Wiglusz on the Bobcats’ radar, and he was quickly offered a scholarship.
Wiglusz also took a visit to Florida Atlantic but chose to utilize the transfer portal to remain close to home.
“It’s a developed program and culture here, and I felt I had the opportunity to come in and make an impact and be not too far from home up in Cleveland,” he said. “My family could see some games, so it kind of worked out perfectly.”
His time spent in Columbus allowed him to build great relationships. It’s easy to tell that Wiglusz left an impact on the program. During a Bobcats home victory over Buffalo last season, a group of Ohio State WRs made the drive to Athens to support their former teammate. Among those were Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka, who are both currently projected to be top-10 selections in the 2024 NFL Draft.
He made sure to make their trip worth it:
Staying in Ohio meant Wiglusz wasn’t leaving those relationships behind, either.
“(Them attending the game) means everything. I spent a lot of time there, made a lot of great relationships, a lot of great friends,” he said. “Being in the spot I was there, I put in a lot of work to never really get the chance to play; and so a lot of my buddies I walked on with, we had to make an impact in different ways. To see those people still care about me even though I’m not part of that program means a lot because I put a lot of time into those relationships.”
Joining a new program meant Wiglusz had to establish new relationships and find his place in a different locker room. Being a veteran made things easier.
His breakout season also helped.
Wiglusz was selected First Team All-MAC last year after recording 73 catches for 877 yards. His 11 touchdowns were tied with Kent State’s Devontez Walker for most in the league. The Bobcats were rolling and had their eyes set on a conference championship. It was then that QB Kurtis Rourke suffered a torn ACL. It was a huge punch in the gut. But Ohio never wavered despite the loss of the conference Player of the Year.
It’s no doubt Wiglusz and the other veterans helped the Bobcats remain poised.
“This team is fortunate with the type of veteran leadership we have,” Wiglusz said. “When Kurtis went down that was unfortunate and for him, I can’t imagine, it was probably the most difficult time of his life, but for the team … I think we did a really good job of refocusing and understanding there was still a lot to achieve.”
For more Group of Five coverage, follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
Ohio hasn’t won the MAC since 1968. Wiglusz knows there’s always more to achieve, and a MAC title is very much in reach. College football betting odds currently have the Bobcats at +250 to win the league, only behind Toledo.
With nine returning starters on offense and eight on defense, they have the tools to make it happen.
“We just got to keep our head down and stay steady,” Wiglusz said. “Last season we had all the pieces, and we have all the pieces and then some this year. If not now, when? We have a lot of guys who really bought in. We have to get to Detroit like we did last year and finish the job this time.”
Besides moving just a couple of counties over, Wiglusz has experienced a lot of change in the past couple of years. That includes going from playing in the Big Ten and on primetime Saturday nights to getting a taste of MACtion and playing weeknights. It’s different, but not all that bad.
“The first (weeknight game) is kind of weird, but once you get into it you just kind of forget what day it is and you start getting into your rhythm,” Wiglusz said. “You know a lot of people are watching. For me, my grandparents can’t figure out ESPN+, so it’s a lot easier to just tell them what channel to turn the TV to on a Tuesday night.”
The change and experience is something that has helped the 6-foot, 183-pound wideout flourish and make the most of his opportunity. He didn’t want to take it for granted.
He knew that experiencing something different was going to be the best thing for him. And, so far, it has been.
“When I was deciding whether to stay at Ohio State or pursue something else, I kind of had to come to the realization that staying would have been easy,” he said. “It’s what I’ve always known. It’s the people I’ve always known. If I really wanted to do something cool I had to step out of my comfort zone. I think it was important for me to do that and show I can adapt to change.”
