A former member of the University of Michigan’s athletic program has made the transition to Ohio State University. Joey Velazquez, who hails from Columbus and graduated from DeSales High School, has transferred to Ohio State, as confirmed by a spokesperson for the program. Initially a three-star recruit in the 2019 class, Velazquez will now join Ohio State’s team as a walk-on for the 2024 season.
Standing at 6 feet tall and weighing 222 pounds, Velazquez played as a linebacker in 16 games over five seasons with the Wolverines. His game appearances were spread out, including one game as a freshman in 2019, ten as a redshirt sophomore in 2021, and five as a redshirt junior in 2022. However, he did not see any action during the 2020 or 2023 seasons. Throughout his time at Michigan, Velazquez recorded eight tackles and one fumble recovery.
Aside from football, Velazquez also participated in baseball at Michigan, where he played as an outfielder. During his four years with the Wolverines, he earned four varsity letters and contributed to their advancement to two NCAA Regionals in 2021 and 2022. In his baseball career, he made 68 starts out of 100 games, boasting a batting average of .255 with 17 doubles, two triples, nine home runs, and 51 RBIs. Notably, it has been confirmed by an Ohio State spokesperson that Velazquez will focus solely on football while at Ohio State.
Recently, the linebacker unit at Ohio State bonded over watching Super Bowl LVIII together, as evidenced by a photo posted by graduate assistant James Laurinaitis. In the photo, Velazquez can be seen wearing a black Nike jacket towards the back of the group.
BUCKEYES!!! Sacred Brotherhood!!! pic.twitter.com/T7Z1575fzQ
— James Laurinaitis (@JLaurinaitis55) February 12, 2024
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