• Follow us on Twitter @buckeyeplanet and @bp_recruiting, like us on Facebook! Enjoy a post or article, recommend it to others! BP is only as strong as its community, and we only promote by word of mouth, so share away!
  • Consider registering! Fewer and higher quality ads, no emails you don't want, access to all the forums, download game torrents, private messages, polls, Sportsbook, etc. Even if you just want to lurk, there are a lot of good reasons to register!

DB Eugene Clifford (official thread)

Dispatch


In the meantime, it was confirmed that reserve sophomore defensive back Eugene Clifford is transferring to Tennessee State after his troubled last season with the Buckeyes.
"Eugene Clifford is a great kid," Tressel said. "In my opinion he just needs a fresh start, he's going to be fine. And I hope some day we see him graduate."
 
Upvote 0
Ohio State football: Former Buckeye Clifford pleads to lesser charge
by Doug Lesmerises
Friday August 01, 2008

Here's an update to the OSU saga of Eugene Clifford, with his Ohio State football career ending with his decision to transfer to Tennessee State.

He settled his case in Hamilton County Court on Tuesday. Originally charged with two misdemeanor counts of assault following a bar fight in early July, Clifford entered a guilty plea to a lesser charge of disorderly conduct and had his other charge of assault dismissed, according to court records and an official at the Hamilton County Clerk of Courts office.

He was given a suspended sentence of 30 days, fined $100 plus court costs and put on six months probation.

And he's off to the fresh start Jim Tressel believes he needs. A Tennessee State spokesman said today that they'll know for sure who's going to be on the team once everyone reports for camp on Saturday. So we'll check back later to confirm if Clifford made his way to Nashville to play for the Tigers.

Ohio State football: Former Buckeye Clifford pleads to lesser charge - Buckeye Blog by The Plain Dealer's Doug Lesmerises - cleveland.com
 
Upvote 0
MaxBuck;1220358; said:
And in the wake of all this, Coach Tressel (classiest in the land) talks of what a great kid Gene is and how he wishes him nothing but the best.

Makes me glad to be a Buckeye!:biggrin:

Although I agree with your sentiments about Coach Tressel... I can't imagine any coach saying anything much different. Good luck Eugene. I hope you can get your priorities in line asap.
 
Upvote 0
Link

Transfer-heavy TSU aiming for turnaround

Wednesday, August 27, 2008 By REGGIE BENSON
Times Sports Staff [email protected]

James Webster accepted the daunting task three years ago of trying to rebuild Tennessee State's football program. It has been a slow go - the Tigers are just 13-20 during his tenure - but he says this year's team is ready to turn the corner.
"This should be our best team since I've been here," said Webster, whose team went 5-6 last season, losing four games by 16 points. "It's not the most experienced team, but as far as talent is concerned, it is the best team."
The Tigers did that with nine Division-I transfers.

Cont...
 
Upvote 0
Transfers key TSU?s hot start
By MIKE ORGAN ? Staff Writer ? September 10, 2008

Taking in players who transfer from other schools can be a gamble for college football teams, but so far, Tennessee State?s bet is paying off.

Ten players transferred during the off-season from Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A) teams to TSU, a Football Championship Subdivision (formerly I-AA) team.

Most already have made an impact.

?At this point, I don?t even consider these guys transfers,? Head Coach James Webster said. ?I consider them TSU players.?

Among the transfers who have been instrumental in helping TSU take a 2-0 record into Saturday?s game against Jackson State:

Eugene Clifford, a safety from Ohio State who leads the defense with four passes defensed and is tied for third with nine tackles.

Clifford was close to cracking the starting lineup at this point last year at Ohio State before being suspended for a violation of team rules.

He said he wasn?t sure what to expect when he arrived at TSU in the summer. He worried other, more established players might resent him coming in and almost instantly being thrust to the first team. Instead, he?s been received with open arms.

?This is the work of one family here, that?s what I?ve learned,?? Clifford said. ?They took me in like I?d been here for years. They helped me learn the scheme. I didn?t expect to come in here and make a big impact like I have, but they needed me and I?m glad that?s what I came in and did.?

Transfers key TSU?s hot start | www.tennessean.com | The Tennessean
 
Upvote 0
Link

TSU claims Classic for 6th straight year

Tigers blow out Jackson State in Memphis, 41-18

By KAREEM COPELAND ? The (Jackson, Miss.) Clarion-Ledger ? September 14, 2008

MEMPHIS ? It took one quarter, the second to be exact, for Jackson State to watch all hopes of ending a five-year losing streak at the Southern Heritage Classic to float into the Memphis night, while Tennessee State made it six in a row with 41-18 blowout.

Jackson State then got its first stop of the quarter, but Rutland threw another interception to Eugene Clifford, who ran it back 43 yards for the score.
 
Upvote 0
Link

Ohio State transfer quickly becomes impact player for TSU



By MIKE ORGAN ? Staff Writer ? September 25, 2008

Tennessee State needed help in the secondary. Eugene Clifford needed a place to play.
It was a match made in football heaven.
The Tigers were looking for an impact player to replace All-American cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie.

Who knew they would be able to find one so quickly?

?As coaches, we knew what Eugene Clifford could do when he came here,?? head coach James Webster said. ?He was a five-star athlete coming out of Ohio. We knew he was going to be a dominant player for us and he was going to be an impact player.?

Clifford, a safety who transferred from Ohio State, displays a hard-hitting physical style of play that is much different from the electrifying speed and quickness Rodgers-Cromartie provided. But the impact on the secondary has been the same.

Continued........
 
Upvote 0
Back
Top