Former Buckeye Roddy Gayle Jr. looking to ‘prove’ himself in return to Ohio State

Junior Michigan guard Roddy Gayle Jr. had to endure more than most transfers last offseason. The New York native came to the Wolverines after spending two seasons at Ohio State, and he’s set for a return to Columbus this Sunday.

Michigan guard Roddy Gayle Jr. on looking to ‘prove’ himself

As arguably the biggest rivalry in all of sports, Michigan and Ohio State games have enough emotion as is. Gayle Jr. said he’s excited for a chance to show out at his old stomping grounds.

“I know that this is an opportunity for me to be able to go back to Columbus and be able to perform, especially (with) how I felt like I was treated after I made the decision to (come to Michigan),” Gayle Jr. said at a press conference Friday. 

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Gayle Jr. was one of Ohio State’s best scorers last season, averaging 13.5 points per game. He said he felt a lot of heat when he made the decision to leave for Ann Arbor.

“I can’t really blame the fans for (being upset about) me being able to enter the transfer portal and go to Michigan,” Gayle Jr. said. “I received a lot of hate for that, but at the end of the day, I get it. It’s fans being fans.

“I feel like it gives me the opportunity to be able to kind of prove myself, prove what coach Dusty had in store, (and) prove what I think was the best decision for me.”

In today’s day and age, some fans take things too far. Look no further than Ohio State head football coach Ryan Day receiving death threats after losing to the Wolverines in football last November. In a different but similar scenario, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow’s house was broken into while he was playing on Monday Night Football last December.

Gayle Jr. said he was a little uneasy after making the decision to transfer.

“… I kind of feared the possibility of what people might do to me when I was out there, (but) I know that as far as players and staff, I knew it would never go that far,” Gayle Jr. said. “That’s just kind of the landscape that we live in nowadays.”

Assistant coach Justin Joyner on Gayle. Jr’s minutes

Rubin Jones recently replaced Gayle Jr. in the starting lineup amid a shooting slump. With that being said, Gayle Jr. still played 27 minutes against Purdue Tuesday and contributed 14 points on 5-of-10 shooting from the field.

Assistant coach Justin Joyner said Gayle Jr. transitioned to the bench seamlessly. 

“Unbelievably, I mean I think there’s actually been a great shift in his approach to this thing,” Joyner said Friday. “I think coach May had great conversations with him in terms of the reasons behind potentially moving him out of the lineup, and I think it’s given him a chance to see the game before he steps into the game and catch rhythm a little bit. 

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“… I think Roddy’s been super mature in how he’s handled it, and it really shows the character of him and our team.”

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