ATLANTA — Brotherhood runs deep within the Ohio State football program. Elyria natives and Buckeye freshmen Devontae and Deontae Armstrong know that better than most.
"We're always on the same team, never really played next to each other like we are now— left tackle, left guard," Deontae said. "So it was a dream come true, sticking it out all the way up to college with each other on the same team."
The two aren't just brothers. Deontae and Devontae's bond is even deeper.
"It's just a really great dynamic to have not only brothers on the same team, but twin brothers on the same team," Deontae continued.
Identical twins. The two have spent their whole lives next to each other. And they've always been competitive.
"We've always just been competing in a little bit of everything. Who can run the furthest, the fastest, who can jump the highest," Devontae said.
For the Armstrong twins, football is a way of competing together. The two played together through their time at St. Edward High School in Lakewood. They even won state championships multiple times playing for the Eagles.
The offensive linemen put in work to achieve their dreams of playing football at The Ohio State University—together.
"There's not many twins that get to experience this at this high a level, so we know how special it is and we just came in here ready to work," Devonate said.
It wasn't easy. It's a rare thing. The Armstrong twins are the first set of scholarship twins at Ohio State since Mike and Matthew Sullivan 37 years ago. They always hoped it would work out and are grateful to be by each other's side through this new chapter of football for them.
It doesn't hurt that they're playing together at the school they grew up loving.
"We've known nothing besides Ohio State all our life, so to actually get to experience this and play on the team that we've always watched since we were old enough to know what football was, it's just been such a dream and a blessing," Devontae said.
The two freshmen are in Atlanta gearing up for the Buckeyes' game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Monday, hoping that in their very first year together at Ohio State ends with an upgrade from high school state champs to college football national champs. Either way, they're glad to be representing Northeast Ohio along the way.
"It just means more when you're from Ohio," Deontae said.
