For most 21-year-olds, if faced with the choice of making millions of dollars and achieving celebrity status or staying in school to finish their degree, the choice would be a no-brainer.
Yet, when Buckeye defensive end Cameron Heyward was presented with this very conundrum last spring, he decided to postpone the potential fame and fortune in favor of returning to OSU.
The son of a former NFL running back Craig Heyward, he finished his junior season strong with 10 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks leading many to believe he would forgo his senior season and follow in his father’s footsteps.
Heyward had different plans.
Now four games into his senior season, the Buckeyes boast an unblemished record thanks in part to the continuing clutch play of the OSU co-captain.
“Cam’s a great player,” said coach Jim Tressel. “He’s hard to block. He’s not a sometimes guy. You know, sometimes you turn the film on and you look at people and you say, ‘Oh, man, when that guy cranks it up, he’s good.’ Well, Cam cranks it up every play, in practice.”
Whether practice or games, Heyward goes all out, all the time.
Collecting 2 tackles for loss, a fumble recovery and an interception already this year, the 2009 second team All-Big Ten selection has continued to establish himself as a defensive force in 2010.
No play exemplified the big man’s ball-hawking abilities more, however, than his week two interception against Miami. Up against a tough Miami offense, the Canes faced a third and goal from the Buckeye nine yard line on their first drive of the second half.
Trailing by just nine points, Miami quarterback Jacory Harris dropped back to pass. Dropping into coverage, the 6-foot 5-inch 288 pound Heyward picked off Harris’ pass and returned it 80 yards setting up an eventual Terrelle Pryor touchdown run to put the game virtually out of reach.
“We expect big plays out of everybody, especially our seniors and especially a captain like Cameron,” said co-captain Brian Rolle. “Cam is always a guy who is running around. I feel like he could be a linebacker because he is as good as one.”
“The first couple weeks he made a couple big plays so now you look every game and say ‘What is Cam going to do this game to excite everybody?'”
Even with his big play ability, Heyward remains humble and attributes his success to the play calling ability of his coaches and his incessant knack for being “in the right place at the right time.”
Not only has Heyward taken his play to the next level, but as a captain, he has taken his leadership responsibilities seriously as well.
“I just try to stay on guys, you can’t let them breathe,” Heyward said. “If you let them breathe, they might get complacent out there…I just try to stay on top of my guys.”
And with his tremendous talent both on the field and in the locker room, Tressel believes his star defensive lineman is one of the best out there.
“Jim Heacock has to take him out of practice at times so he doesn’t disrupt the entire practice,” Tressel said. “I mean, there can’t be too many others any better than him at that position in the country.”
