Those who once played for OSU remain connected to the program by giving back even after leaving football. That clearly shows through the journey of four OSU legends: Roy Hall Jr., Braxton Miller, DeVier Posey, and Drew Basil. These four have transitioned into careers as entrepreneurs, community leaders, and professional coaches, but they still help the community by serving a bigger cause. And now, the former Ohio State and NFL WR Hall, on behalf of his peers, is inviting more OSU alumni to do the same.

“Football may have introduced us to the world, but real leadership is revealed in how you serve the world after the applause dies down,” wrote Hall on X this Monday, showing an effort to engage more former OSU student athletes as Challenge Captains for the Team Tressel Fitness Challenge.

“That’s one of the things I appreciate most about the @TeamTresselFC. It brings together former student athletes from across generations, not just to reconnect, but to serve. More than 100 former student athletes showing up, giving back, and pouring into the community is a reminder that brotherhood should never stop at memories. It should move into mission.”

In 2025, former OSU head coach Jim Tressel created TeamTresselFC, which currently serves as Ohio’s 67th lieutenant governor and is the former head coach at OSU. This organization was created in collaboration with the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce to help students in grades 4–8 develop healthy lifelong habits. The challenge emphasizes nutrition, rest, and mental health. Students advance through bronze, silver, and gold tiers as they complete goals from a provided workbook.

Last season, the first round 90-day challenge included 635 schools and more than 160,000 students across Ohio. Then a second, 30-day version of the challenge kicked off this February, expanding to include 3rd graders and reaching over 1,300 schools. Now serving this great cause of preparing future Ohio generations, Hall is not alone, as he is joined by other Buckeye greats like Miller, Posey, and Basil.

“That’s why I’m thankful for brothers like @BraxtonMiller5 @DPo8 & @DrewDaKicker24. Each of them is using his life, gifts, and platform in a meaningful way, through service, business, leadership, and impact. That matters. A lot,” said Hall.

“Life is not supposed to be lived only for yourself. The goal is not just to talk about values. The goal is to live them in a way that helps somebody else. Proud of all my brothers who are still finding ways to make a difference. That’s the real win.”

As a Challenge Captain, Hall works alongside Jim Tressel to visit schools and motivate students to reach their goals. At schools like Johnson Park Middle School, he serves as a “Fitness Buddy.” His involvement is a natural extension of his community work as the co-founder of the Driven Foundation, a non-profit he co-founded in 2008 that provides food, clothing, and motivational programming for Ohio families.

Hall isn’t the only one giving back; three other OSU legends are also making an impact in their careers beyond football. Miller oversees his Springfield Sports Academy and the Charging Sports programs, which focus on youth development and empowerment. Meanwhile, Posey founded the non-profit Pocket Full of Poseys in 2013 and is a vocal advocate for mental health awareness.

Then, Basil remains deeply involved in football as a special teams coach at Upper Arlington High School and as a senior instructor for Chris Sailer Kicking, where he travels the country to train elite kickers. Through it all, one thing is clear: OSU alumni still bleed for the program.

OSU football has another level of impact on its players

No OSU fan is unaware of the fact that the Buckeyes are one of the most successful programs in NCAA history, defined by a “legendary” status built on nine national championships, a record-setting list of Heisman Trophy winners (7), and “The Game.” However, the school shapes its student athletes in a way that after leaving Ohio State, they never forget to give back.

“For all of us who came through Ohio State in different eras, with different experiences and different journeys, there was a shared pursuit in all of it. We wanted to compete. We wanted to grow. We wanted to maximize our gifts. For most of us, we wanted to see just how far the game could take us,” wrote the former OSU WR Roy Hall Jr.

“But one of the greatest lessons football teaches you is that eventually the game ends, and when it does, you have to decide what kind of man you’re going to be beyond the uniform.”

In short, beyond training players to be great athletes, OSU helps them grow as individuals. This is probably why it has one of the most passionate fan bases in all of sports.