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Fourth-year tight end Cade Stover was sidelined following Ohio State’s spring game. Credit: Katie Good | Assistant photo editor
Growing up in Mansfield, Ohio, Cade Stover was known for many things.
Standing 6-foot-4 and 255 pounds, his football prowess spoke for itself and earned him a scholarship spot on Ohio State’s 2019 roster.
But in the Stover family, working on the family farm isn’t an extracurricular activity, it’s a daily responsibility.
“We raise cattle. We grow corn. We grow alfalfa, so we do all kinds of things,” Stover said. “Any work on the farm that I’ve touched at some point, I say.”
Stover’s newest assignment was Aug. 13: One of No. 2 Ohio State. Six captains as voted among the teammates.
Before starting Buckeye’s, Stover helped his parents run their farm, and the family owns two butcher shops, one in his hometown of Mansfield and the other in Powell.
“I think if you think of a farmer, you think of a countryman,” Stover said. “I tell you, you are a strong man in blue.”
For Stover, that person is his father, Trevor Stover.
“How he handles the business, how he handles issues on the farm, if a cow gets sick, if you have mechanical problems, you’ve got all kinds of things,” Cade Stover said. “There’s a mental toughness to it, and there’s a physical toughness to it, and it’s just about having a strong person that you want to be around.
Cade Stover said he grew up watching his father wake up at 5 a.m., return home at 7 p.m. that night, and work hard tending the family farm.
As he progressed through his football career, Cade Stover encouraged his father to pursue his athletic interests. Trevor Stover understands what it’s like to be a successful student-athlete; He played tight end at Bowling Green in the 1990s.
“He knew football. I mean, he saw things in me that I didn’t see in me before anybody did, to be honest. He always knew,” Stover said. There was never a time where he said, ‘You can’t.’ It was always, ‘Go there. Go be an athlete. Go do your thing. That was always good.'”
Cade Stover was named Ohio Mr. Football in 2018 Before arriving at Ohio State as a linebacker.
In the year He spent most of his first three seasons with the program at defensive end before switching to tight end in 2021, but made the switch back to linebacker for the Rose Bowl. He scored six balls in the bowling game.
“Cade has worked hard,” head coach Ryan Day said on Aug. 11. “What you notice the most is his body. For a big man, he is athletic, has good ball skills and has worked hard during the offseason running and catching the ball.
Offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson said Cade Stover is “one of the dudes on our team” and praised his consistency in his play on the field and his leadership off the field.
Alumnus Mitch Rossi, who practices in Wilson’s tight end, said “a lot” of things make Cade Stover different from most Buckeyes, but he noted the consistency. So did Wilson and his colleagues.
“You could tell he had a very good upbringing. He’s the kind of dude I want in my foxy guy, so he’s not going to blame me for something,” Rossi said. “We’re working together there, and I can trust him. It’s great to have him there. “
Cade Stover will be the focus as he enters the 2022 season, starting with a best-of-five matchup against No. 5 Notre Dame on Sept. 3 at Ohio Stadium.
With his height and physical presence on the field, Cade Stover’s leadership was found at the bottom of his family farm — if he wants to be his own legacy at Ohio State and beyond.
“I wouldn’t be anywhere without my dad and my mom and those guys, so just making them proud, that’s my No. 1,” Stover said. “Being here for these guys and my team, knowing that if things go down wherever they are, they know who’s going to be there for them.”
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