Ohio State star surprises childhood mentors with special National Championship Game gift
While NIL spending has dominated much of the college football discussion, the heartwarming stories far outweigh the bad ones. For Ohio State's Kayden McDonald and Caleb Downs, they took the opportunity the National Championship Game offered to present their hometown heroes with an incredibly rare and valuable experience. McDonald and Downs rewarded two former teachers […]
While NIL spending has dominated much of the college football discussion, the heartwarming stories far outweigh the bad ones.
For Ohio State's Kayden McDonald and Caleb Downs, they took the opportunity the National Championship Game offered to present their hometown heroes with an incredibly rare and valuable experience. McDonald and Downs rewarded two former teachers with title game tickets.
“What’s up, Mr. Arrington?' 'What’s up, Mrs. Bonds?' I appreciate y’all for being mentors and great teachers when I was growing up. I just want to give a special shoutout to y’all. Y’all had so much of an impact on my life, and Mr. Arrington, I know I always wanted you to come up to ‘the Shoe’ and come watch me play the team up North, but Mr. Arrington, Mrs. Bonds, I have something bigger. I have two tickets for y’all to come to the National Championship and watch me go win it,” McDonald said in the video.
Before they teamed up at Ohio State, star safety Caleb Downs and defensive lineman Kayden McDonald were childhood buddies hanging out in Atlanta. They went to elementary school together before taking different paths and making names for themselves at their respective high schools. But those early days forged a special bond, not just between them, but with a couple of their former teachers too.
“It just brings you joy as a teacher and this is amazing, thank you for this opportunity,” said Mrs. Bonds. A lot of tears and laughs were shared, and now they get to watch those young men play on college football’s biggest stage.
Maria Martin from NBC Atlanta recently shared a sweet story while chatting with Rob Arrington and Cheryl Bonds about how Caleb and Kayden's journey has come full circle. The teachers had nothing but nice things to say about the guys, now young men, and then Martin revealed a video message from McDonald. He expressed his gratitude and surprised the two educators with an unforgettable gift.
“It just brings you joy as a teacher and this is amazing, thank you for this opportunity,” said Mrs. Bonds. A lot of tears and laughs were shared, and now they get to watch those young men play on college football’s biggest stage.
These teachers show up to work every day hoping to make a difference, and in this case, it’s clear they’ve succeeded. Often, the hard work teachers put in goes unnoticed, leaving them to wonder about their impact, but the evidence is all right here.
As Ohio State gears up to face Notre Dame in the National Championship on Monday, Mr. Arrington and Ms. Bonds will be there cheering for their former students. No matter what happens out there, I bet they'll be bursting with pride for Caleb and Kayden.
