Professor Set for "First Down" with OSU Buckeyes

Most college professors teach, grade, and teach some more. But  Jeff Gilbert, assistant professor of journalism at Cedarville University, will spend much of his spare time at Ohio State football games this season.

Earlier this year, Gilbert, a noted sports journalist in Ohio, began covering Ohio State University’s football team as a freelance writer for pressprosmagazine.com, a regional sports website.

While covering high school games for the Dayton Daily News and other media outlets, Gilbert’s network of sports journalists deepened to include Sonny Fulks, owner of the Press Pros site. In the fall, Fulks asked Gilbert to cover the University of Dayton’s football season for the site.

And when the journalist who covered Ohio State football stepped down in January, Fulks turned to Gilbert.

Covering the Buckeyes — home and away games — is part of Gilbert’s new assignment. But that’s not all. He will also feature stories about players, coaches and issues within the program.

“Covering a program with such a high national footprint will be a different dynamic,” Gilbert said.

Before starting as a professor at Cedarville in 2009, Gilbert worked as a sports journalist for 22 years. For the past 13 years, he’s been a regular freelance writer for the Dayton Daily News and the Springfield News-Sun.

The opportunities Gilbert has had in continuing to write have helped him hone his craft, making him more effective in the classroom.

“I routinely share stories and lessons I’ve learned out in the field with my students,” he said.

Gilbert’s ability to network with the media has opened opportunities for his students as well. And his continued work in the field encourages his students as he models that these jobs really do exist and are not beyond their reach.

Gilbert resides in the village of Cedarville, which has an estimated population of 4,000, and he sees his work in local media as a way to serve the community. Though it may be sports, he knows that he is investing in the community by telling those stories.

While his job covering Ohio State football may be challenging, Gilbert is ready to rise to the occasion.

“I am really looking forward to traveling to away games with the Buckeyes,” said Gilbert. “I’ve been to Ohio Stadium many times as a fan, but I’ve never been to some of the iconic Big Ten stadiums, including ‘The Big House’ in Ann Arbor. That should be a special day.”

For Gilbert, the new role with the Ohio State Buckeyes is less about work and more about a passion for sports and writing.

Located in southwest Ohio, Cedarville University is an accredited, Christ-centered, Baptist institution with an enrollment of 5,082  undergraduate,  graduate, and  dual-enrolled high school students in more than 175 areas of study. Founded in 1887, Cedarville is one of the largest private universities in Ohio, recognized nationally for its authentic Christian community, rigorous academic programs, including its  Bachelor of Arts in Broadcasting, Digital Media and Journalism, high graduation and retention rates, accredited professional and health science offerings, and the #4 national ranking by the Wall Street Journal for student engagement. For more information about the University, visit cedarville.edu.