COLUMBUS – Former Buckeyes will be busy during the last two weekends of the football season. Thirteen former players will be on the field for college football’s Senior Bowl and the NFL’s Pro Bowl and Super Bowl 50 between now and Feb. 7.
Five Buckeyes who have a national championship on their resume and a record 50 wins the past four years arrived in Mobile this week for and the annual Senior Bowl game (Jan. 30, Ladd-Peebles Stadium, Mobile, Ala., 2:30 p.m./NFL Network).
H-back Braxton Miller, linebacker Joshua Perry, safety Tyvis Powell, tight end Nick Vannett and defensive tackle Adolphus Washington have all spent the week working out in front of NFL coaches, though Ohio State officials say Perry will miss the game because of an injury.
Ohio State and Alabama lead all schools with five players apiece at the Senior Bowl.
Two former Buckeye All-Americans have been added to rosters for the Pro Bowl (Jan. 31, Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, Hawai’I, 7:00 p.m./ESPN).
Safety Malcolm Jenkins led the Eagles in tackles this season with 120 and is making his first Pro Bowl appearance while this is the seventh trip for Jets center Nick Mangold.
There are more Buckeyes in the Super Bowl (Feb. 7, Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, Calif., 6:30 p.m./CBS) than from any other school.
Five former Buckeyes will start and a sixth will be there: Denver tight end Jeff Heuerman, who is on the injured reserve list.
The Carolina Panthers feature four Ohio State starters: wide receivers Corey Brown and Ted Ginn, offensive guard Andrew Norwell and safety Kurt Coleman while Bradley Roby is a key member of the Broncos defense.
Brown had a career-long 86-yard touchdown reception last week in the NFC championship game win over Arizona.
Coleman is in his first year with Carolina and led the team with seven interceptions, helping to slam the door on the Cardinals with two more picks.
Ted Ginn is in his ninth year in the NFL and is making his second Super Bowl appearance. He has 44 receptions for 739 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Andrew Norwell has started 22 times at left guard.
Roby is in his second season with the Broncos after being the team’s first-round draft pick in the 2015 NFL Draft. He has three interceptions, plus the interception on a potential game-tying two-point conversion attempt last week in the AFC title game win over New England.