Rank’Em: Top Cowboys from Ohio State
We take a look back at the top ten players from Ohio State who also suited up for the Cowboys
10. Eddie George • Running Back • Ohio State (1992-95) • Cowboys (2004)
The Heisman Trophy winner in 1995, George ranks among the top five all-time in Buckeyes history for career rushing yards (3,668) and touchdowns (44). As far as the NFL, though, he wrapped up his tenure with one season in Dallas but made his name over nine years with the Titans, rushing for more than 10,00 yards in all.
9. Bobby Carpenter • Linebacker • Ohio State (2002-05) • Cowboys (2006-09)
Having recorded three interceptions in his junior season, Carpenter came back the next year and totaled eight sacks for the Buckeyes. That was good enough for the Cowboys to take him with the 18th overall pick in 2006, but he never lived up to the billing. Carpenter primarily served on special teams before being traded in 2010.
8. Doug Donley • Wide Receiver • Ohio State (1977-80) • Cowboys (1981-84)
Though he never had a 1,000-yard campaign at Ohio State, Donley was still the school's career leader in receiving yards when he turned pro. Selected in the second round by the Cowboys in 1981, he was plagued by injuries during his four seasons in Dallas, totaling 898 receiving yards before being forced to retire.
7. Noah Brown • Wide Receiver • Ohio State (2014-16) • Cowboys (2017-22)
Brown has to be one of the better seventh-round picks in team history, as he turned those unlikely odds into five seasons in Dallas. In 2016, he tied for the Buckeyes' lead with seven touchdown catches before then turning pro. With the Cowboys, he then became a mainstay on special teams while totaling 980 receiving yards.
6. Alonzo Spellman • Defensive Lineman • Ohio State (1989-91) • Cowboys (1999-2000)
The Buckeyes' team MVP as a junior in 1991, Spellman then declared for the draft and was selected by the Bears with the 22nd overall pick. Although he later missed the 1998 campaign due to off-the-field issues, the Cowboys took a chance on him in 1999, and he recorded five sacks in each of the next two seasons.
5. Malik Hooker • Safety • Ohio State (2014-16) • Cowboys (2021-present)
After leading the nation with three interceptions returned for touchdowns as a redshirt sophomore at Ohio State, Hooker was selected 15th overall by the Colts in the 2017 draft. He spent four years in Indianapolis before joining the Cowboys in 2021, and since then has recorded seven interceptions, ranking third on the team over that span.
4. Joey Galloway • Wide Receiver • Ohio State (1991-94) • Cowboys (2000-03)
Galloway is ranked among Ohio State leaders in catches (108), receiving yards (1,894) and touchdown grabs (19), but his time with the Cowboys was perhaps a case of what might have been. Signed to replace the retired Michael Irvin, he was injured in his very first game, though he led the team in receiving yards in 2002.
3. Terry Glenn • Wide Receiver • Ohio State (1993-95) • Cowboys (2003-07)
Originally a walk-on at Ohio State, Glenn broke out in his junior season, totaling 1,411 receiving yards and 17 touchdowns. He would eventually spend the last five years of his NFL career in Dallas, posting back-to-back 1,000-yard efforts in 2005-06. Overall with the Cowboys, Glenn averaged 61.8 yards per game, which still ranks seventh in franchise annals.
2. Ron Springs • Running Back • Ohio State (1976-78) • Cowboys (1979-84)
Springs finished with 2,140 career rushing yards for the Buckeyes, but with the Cowboys he was largely a third-down threat, hauling in 73 catches in 1983 that at the time was a franchise record. He's still one of only five players in team history to have topped 2,000 career yards both in rushing (2,180) and receiving (2,028).
1. Ezekiel Elliott • Running Back • Ohio State (2013-15) • Cowboys (2016-22, 2024)
A national champion with Ohio State, Elliott left campus ranked second in school history for rushing yards (3,961) while his rushing touchdowns were fourth (43). He then picked up right where he left off, going on to place third in Cowboys history in both of those categories, finishing with 8,488 and 71, respectively.
