Former Ohio State tight end Joe Royer is arguably one of the top-ranked in his position in the 2026 NFL draft. But to become that, he had to overcome a plunging personal tragedy. After coming to Ohio State, he found his world torn apart when his mother passed away in 2022. Nothing seemed interesting, and he lost his desire to play football. In that tough time, though, Royer got the support of his teammates and coaches under Ryan Day and overcame the grief gradually.

“First, tight end coach Keenan Bailey, he definitely helped me through it a lot,” Joey Royer said at the NFL Combine’s February 26 presser. “I’m still super close with him. I was on a family vacation with him in the summer. I still talk with him all the time. Coach Mick helped me a lot as well. Then, Cade Stover, who was one of my best friends during my time at Ohio State. I still talk to him quite often as well. He’s been there for me through this process, too.”

Royer’s story radiates inspiration in all directions. The 6’5″ and 250 lbs tight end came to Ohio State after rejecting several illustrious Power-4 names. But given OSU’s talented room, nothing would have been handed to him. The 4-star prospect from Elder High School didn’t back down. He trusted his talent, and why wouldn’t he? After all, his 1,258-yard performance in the senior season gave him All-Ohio honors in 2019. Royer was destined to excel at Ohio State.

The Cincinnati, Ohio, native persisted, learned behind veterans like Cade Stover, and aimed for the sky. But fate had other plans for him, and 2022 became tumultuous after his mother passed away. “Last year was one of the hardest years of my life, dealing with injury and then my mom passing,” Royer said in April 2023. Royer lost his appetite, his interest in things faded, and his love for football and his desire to compete completely dwindled.

“It wasn’t like I wasn’t enjoying or having fun playing football before that. It was really just that… got a hold of me,” Royer said. “It really just took the love and enjoyment out of a lot of things for me—not just football, but obviously football is kind of the main thing I was doing.” Amid the setback, though, the Ohio State team supported him unconditionally and stayed by his side whenever he needed them. In the process, he also rediscovered his love for football.

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Coming into the 2023 season, Royer started spring practices solidly and aimed to break the depth chart. Ryan Day called Joe Royer’s development “critical” and aimed to pick three tight ends whom Day can field in rotation. Moreover, Day also pondered switching to a 12-personnel scheme, in which two to three tight ends could have been deployed. The switch came, but Royer was nowhere in his plans. Instead, he went with Cade Stover and Gee Scott Jr. Royer transferred thereafter, but he looks back on his time at Ohio State fondly.

Joey Royer opens up on his OSU learnings

Joey Royer finally entered the transfer portal and landed at his hometown college, Cincinnati. He was closer to his family, and what he learned at Ohio State finally came in handy. In just his first season in 2024, the senior tight end racked up 521 yards and made it to the All-Big 12 First Team. His 41-yard performance against Big 12 Championship winners ASU was pivotal as Cincinnati won the game 24-14. Coming back in 2025, Royer’s elite performances continued.

He started all 13 games, racked up 416 yards, and established himself as one of the top TEs in the nation. Now that he is preparing for the NFL Draft, he credits OSU’s tight end coach Keenan Bailey and the team for elevating him as a person. “I developed as a person and a player at Ohio State; unfortunately, I just wasn’t able to showcase that,” Royer said. “He (Bailey) was really my go-to guy my whole time there. He really taught me a lot.”

“This version of Joe Royer is the best that I’ve seen,” Bailey said in 2023. Entering this year’s NFL draft, Royer is projected as a fourth-round pick by NFL Draft Buzz and enters the Combine to bolster his draft stock. The 250-pound TE’s spatial awareness and natural fluidity are rare, and his catch radius makes him excel in most offenses. In all, Royer has learned a lot from the setbacks, his personal tragedy, and his OSU stint. He has now become a much better player and a more humble human being.