COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State’s strength and conditioning staff, led by assistant athletic director for football sports performance Mickey Marotti, announced the recipients of its Most Improved Awards following the conclusion of winter conditioning workouts.
The Buckeyes who were lauded for their work in the weight room where: QB Jagger LaRoe, QB J.P. Andrade, OL Ryan Jacoby, DE Javontae Jean-Baptiste, LB Cade Kacherski and WR Kamryn Babb, WR Chris Booker andK Jack Deneher.
Andrade, from La Verne, Calif., and LaRoe, from Colleyville, Texas, both joined the program last summer. Jacoby was an early enrollee freshman in 2019 and redshirted last season. He’s from Mentor, Ohio, and was one of Ohio’s top-ranked players coming out of Mentor High School.
Babb has battled injuries during his two years at Ohio State and has yet to see action in a game. The third-year sophomore spent the 2018 season recovering from a summertime injury and then re-injured a knee in March of 2019, putting an indefinite hold on his introduction as a Buckeye receiver. He’s been a stellar student during his time on campus, earning OSU Scholar-Athlete honors twice and Academic All-Big Ten laurels this past fall.
Kacherski, who joined the program in 2018 as a walk-on, has been an OSU Scholar-Athlete and Academic All-Big Ten selection. A native of Dublin, his father, John, was a captain for the Buckeyes in 1991.
Jean-Baptiste, a third-year sophomore, played in all 14 games last season and had a final stat line that included 14 tackles, 1.5 tackles-for-loss and two sacks. He’s added over 30 pounds to his frame since arriving from Bergan Catholic High School and is in line to be a key member of the defensive line rotation in 2020.
Booker is less than a year removed from being a member of the club football team at Ohio State. The St. Louis, Mo., native joined the program in August of 2019. In 2018, he caught 14 passes in four games for the club team while also playing defensive back and returning kicks/punts.
Like Booker, Deneher joined the program in 2019. An All-Ohio kicker at Dover High School, he’s majoring in aviation management.
The Buckeyes who were lauded for their work in the weight room where: QB Jagger LaRoe, QB J.P. Andrade, OL Ryan Jacoby, DE Javontae Jean-Baptiste, LB Cade Kacherski and WR Kamryn Babb, WR Chris Booker andK Jack Deneher.
Andrade, from La Verne, Calif., and LaRoe, from Colleyville, Texas, both joined the program last summer. Jacoby was an early enrollee freshman in 2019 and redshirted last season. He’s from Mentor, Ohio, and was one of Ohio’s top-ranked players coming out of Mentor High School.
Babb has battled injuries during his two years at Ohio State and has yet to see action in a game. The third-year sophomore spent the 2018 season recovering from a summertime injury and then re-injured a knee in March of 2019, putting an indefinite hold on his introduction as a Buckeye receiver. He’s been a stellar student during his time on campus, earning OSU Scholar-Athlete honors twice and Academic All-Big Ten laurels this past fall.
Kacherski, who joined the program in 2018 as a walk-on, has been an OSU Scholar-Athlete and Academic All-Big Ten selection. A native of Dublin, his father, John, was a captain for the Buckeyes in 1991.
Jean-Baptiste, a third-year sophomore, played in all 14 games last season and had a final stat line that included 14 tackles, 1.5 tackles-for-loss and two sacks. He’s added over 30 pounds to his frame since arriving from Bergan Catholic High School and is in line to be a key member of the defensive line rotation in 2020.
Booker is less than a year removed from being a member of the club football team at Ohio State. The St. Louis, Mo., native joined the program in August of 2019. In 2018, he caught 14 passes in four games for the club team while also playing defensive back and returning kicks/punts.
Like Booker, Deneher joined the program in 2019. An All-Ohio kicker at Dover High School, he’s majoring in aviation management.
