TAMPA, Fla. -- Joey Bosa still remembers the first time he saw Noah Spence at Ohio State in 2013. Bosa was an incoming freshman and four-star recruit from Florida powerhouse St. Thomas Aquinas. Spence, Pennsylvania's Gatorade Player of the Year, was heading into his sophomore season, having played in 12 games as a true freshman. Bosa could see the sheer athleticism, the way Spence turned the corner.
"Coming in, I kind of knew he was the guy and he was who I’d watched -- him and Adolphus Washington," Bosa said. "I was a little intimidated, because I knew I was going to have to turn into that one day. But at the same time, it was great having some great players to watch as a young player at Ohio State."
Spence would explode that year, starting 13 games and recording 8 sacks, with 14 tackles for a loss. Bosa, who credits Spence for helping motivate him, would too, with 7 1/2 sacks and 13 1/2 tackles for a loss as a true freshman.
"I think just his work ethic and his motor," Bosa said. "Noah [could] run literally for days. I remember training, trying to keep up with him. Running and training and he [was] always just first of the line working. He was a good guy to watch when I was young at Ohio State."
That would be the only season they played together though. Spence had tested positive for the drug, Ecstasy, or MDMA, and watched Bosa and the Buckeyes win the College Football Playoff National Championship from home.
After another failed drug test that fall, Spence was ruled ineligible to play in the Big Ten and transferred to Eastern Kentucky, an FCS school, where he had 11 1/2 sacks. He entered a drug rehabilitation program and committed to turning his life around. Bosa watched from afar, but was never that far away. The two remained close and still are.
"I knew if he kept his head on straight and kept working like he knows how to, he would make something of himself," Bosa said. "He is doing just that. I am proud of him.”
Bosa wound up being the highest defensive player selected in the 2016 NFL draft, going third-overall to the San Diego Chargers, while Spence, who had to wait a day to hear his name called, was taken by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with the 39th overall pick. Both went to struggling teams and are already making a major impact in helping turn those franchises around.
Spence has 5 1/2 sacks, second-most among NFL rookie defensive ends, and Bosa, who was leading the charge for a while, is fourth with 4 1/2. They get to showcase their talents Sunday, when Spence's 6-5 Bucs travel to Qualcomm Stadium.
"Yeah, we were just texting yesterday, just excited to see each other out there and hopefully both have a good game," said Bosa, thrilled that his former teammate, who didn't get to be part of that national title game nearly three years ago, is having his moment to shine on a big stage.
"Noah, he’s a testament to turning your life around," Bosa said. "I’ve always known he’s a great kid, and any coach that ever asked anything about him to me, I always gave him the best. I’m happy. I knew he would work as hard as he can to get into the position he’s in now, and I’m really proud of him and I’m excited to see him out there this Sunday."