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DB Jamario O'Neal (official thread)

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Departing seniors were asked about their experience at tOSU.

dispatch

Jamario O'Neal

Defensive back

Cleveland | Age: 22

Parting thought: "It has been a great experience and the relationships I have made will be lifelong. I've learned that you should always be accountable for your actions and to be punctual. Both of those go a long way in life. ... I would tell younger teammates to make sure you learn from others, whether good or bad."
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Football: Mansfield native on NFL radar
Workout with Browns up next for speedy Ohio State safety Jamario O'Neal
By JON SPENCER ? News Journal ? March 22, 2009

bilde

Ohio State defensive back Jamario O'Neal, a Mansfield native, laughs with teammates Malcolm Jenkins and James Laurinaitis before a 2007 team photo in Columbus. O'Neal joined Jenkins and Laurinaitis, both expected to be first-day picks in the April 25 and 26 NFL Draft, for OSU's pro day workouts last week. (AP photo)


COLUMBUS -- If it were just a matter of speed, Jamario O'Neal would be flexing his right hand, getting ready to sign a contract with an NFL team.


Representatives from 29 of the 32 NFL teams were present on the campus of The Ohio State University last week when the senior safety from Mansfield took part in the school's pro day in the Woody Hayes Athletic Center.

Workouts were closed to the media, but O'Neal said his best time in the 40-yard dash was 4.38 seconds. Based on reports, tailback Chris "Beanie" Wells was the only OSU player to clock a faster time. One team had Wells at 4.34, which vaulted him back into the top half of the first round in many mock drafts after he had posted a disappointing 4.59 -- albeit on a slower surface -- at the scouting combine last month in Indianapolis.

Malcolm Jenkins, an All-American cornerback for the Buckeyes and projected first-round pick, only ran in the 4.5 to 4.56 range at pro day and the combine, leading to speculation that he might be a safety at the next level.

O'Neal's time, on the other hand, might make him a prospect at both safety and corner, his original position with the Buckeyes. Versatility is never a bad thing.

"I'll be a placekicker if they want. I just need an opportunity," O'Neal said. "On the sheet I filled out for teams, I put cornerback/safety. I'll do whatever."

O'Neal, a former football and track star for Mansfield Senior before finishing up his high school career at Cleveland Glenville, was hoping to run an even faster time.

"It wasn't what I wanted, but I can't complain," he said. "I spent a lot of time watching the combine on TV, looking at the times and technique of the safeties."
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O'Neal has a workout scheduled with the Browns on April 14.

"(Cornrich) told me it's good to get a call from a team so early, especially since I didn't go to the combine," O'Neal said. "He said I should look forward to getting more calls."
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O'Neal had a golden opportunity last spring when he was running with the first team at nickel back. But he and Washington ended up sitting out the spring game and the first two games of the 2008 regular season for committing an undisclosed team violation.

O'Neal referred to his lapse in judgment as "a lump on the head."

Washington, who wowed the scouts at the combine with his measurables, lost his starting cornerback job to Chimdi Chekwa and O'Neal never worked his way back into the mix.

"I can't blame anybody but myself," O'Neal said, "but once I came back (from suspension), I knew my days at Ohio State were over. They weren't going to give me a chance no matter how hard I worked. It wasn't like I was starting over, but I knew I had to do what I could to get better. I had to do something my senior year, even if it just meant special teams.

"I still prepared myself as if I was going to play. I hoped for the best and expected the worst."
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The biggest surprise for the 5-foot-11 O'Neal at pro day came when he stepped on the scale. He weighed 201 pounds, considerably less than the 225 he carried at the start of spring ball last year.

"It snuck up on me when I gained so much weight, because I didn't lose any speed, and it snuck up on me again when I lost it," O'Neal said. "After the season, I've been working out and eating better. I think that's why I appear bigger than I am."

O'Neal did 15 reps of 225 pounds on the bench press for the scouts. Depending on what happens over the next few months, hoisting the weight of unfulfilled potential off his shoulders could be his greatest feat of strength.

"He has moved on; he realizes he's doing the things necessary to make good choices," Jefferson said. "He and I have talked in general about getting his degree. Anything beyond that is gravy. The No. 1 reason he came here, and his family had him come here, was to get his degree. He'll be fine."
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<b>Football:</b> Mansfield native on NFL radar | mansfieldnewsjournal.com | Mansfield News Journal
 
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now with the San Jose team of the indoor league...

http://www.thesanjosesabercats.com/team.php
Player Bio:
O’Neal joins the SaberCats for his first season in the AFL after playing four seasons for Ohio State. He totaled 49 tackles, two for loss, one forced fumble, one interception and two passes defensed, playing all four positions in the secondary for the Buckeyes. An All-Ohio selection as a junior and senior at Glenville High School (OH), O’Neal also finished fifth at the 2004 state championships in the 100-meter dash.
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http://www.thesanjosesabercats.com/iframes/ibio.php?id=110
 
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SaberCat clawing his way back: Former Buckeye Jamario O?Neal is back in the game
By Joe Lombardi
[email protected]
Published: Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Glenville High School graduate and former Buckeye defensive back Jamario O?Neal recorded 49 tackles and 1 interception in his career at Ohio State.

If at first you don't succeed, dust yourself off and try again.

That goes for former Buckeye safety Jamario O'Neal as he continues his career in the Arena Football League with the San Jose SaberCats.

A native of Mansfield, Ohio, O'Neal moved to Cleveland and played his final two years of high school at Glenville High School. O'Neal was the first commitment of the Buckeyes' 2005 recruiting class.

His career at Ohio State, however, never panned out.

"I didn't do the little things and stay on the grind that got me to that point," O'Neal said. "I had a lot going in my life with school and everything, and I just kind of lost my passion for football."

O'Neal was an All-Ohio team selection his junior and senior years of high school. His senior year garnered him a Parade All-America honor before he came to OSU.

Four years later, after splitting time at safety and cornerback with the Buckeyes, O'Neal amassed 49 tackles, one forced fumble, one interception and two passes defended.

His recruiting class also included Kansas City Chiefs' safety Donald Washington, New Orleans Saints' cornerback Malcolm Jenkins and Washington Redskins' defensive back Anderson Russell in the secondary with him.

"Just thinking about all the times I could've done extra films, gassers (and) time in the weight room, I had talent but didn't work hard," he said. "You had guys like Malcolm and Donald who worked hard and had talent."

After being suspended for the Spring Game and first two games of 2008 for a team violation, O'Neal didn't make it back into the starting rotation.

O'Neal worked out during Pro Day, but no one offered him a contract during the NFL Draft. He spent the next two years out of football, until he got a phone call from his agent in October 2010 regarding the SaberCats and another chance on the field.

"I had time to reflect while I was away," he said.

He immediately began to study the team playbook and prepare for the faster pace of the indoor game.

"I was out of football for damned near two years," he said. "Adjusting to the mental aspect was easy. With the physical aspect, that is something that you have to work on everyday."

Cont...
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http://www.thelantern.com/sports/sa...-jamario-o-neal-is-back-in-the-game-1.2226199
 
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Went to the Pittsburgh-San Jose AFL game tonight and guess who started at Jack LB for the Saber Cats? Jamario collected his second interception of the season in the first half, but the Power scored with 14 seconds left to come from behind and win, 54-48.

I hadn't noticed this thread lately so I was surprised to see his name in the program. He was making calls on defense and played the whole game.
 
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