Devin Royal of Ohio State University hangs out with students at a back-to-school event
Ohio State’s Devin Royal participates in a back-to-school event at Pickerington Elementary on July 24, 2024.
The rain got heavier and people on the playground rushed to seek shelter. Teachers, administrators, parents and students gathered for a school bag drive at Pickerington Elementary School on July 24 as the storm passed over them. They huddled on a sidewalk or against the east wall of the school as the storm passed over them.
Some children clutched their frozen popsicles while parents waited for a break in the rain to run to the car. The administration frantically grabbed the donated backpacks and stowed them under a makeshift tent.
But on the tetherball court, two intrepid children and the headliner of the event continued playing unconcerned.
Two years ago, Devin Royal was a classroom assistant here, spending two hours three days a week with Craig Friedrich’s third-grade class as part of a service-learning course offered at Pickerington Central. Today he was the guest of honor at the usual back-to-school event, and it was clear he wasn’t just there for a simple photo shoot and social media post to promote his personal brand.
Royal was there, just like when he was a high school graduate, to connect with the children. To put a smile on their faces. And as proof of his sincere attitude, Friedrich pointed to the two elementary school-aged children who were playing several games of tetherball with the older child in the pouring rain.
“This is not a show,” said Friedrich, leaning against the school’s somewhat dry brick wall. “This is not today, because it is something special. This is Devin.”
Devin Royal of Ohio State University has “always been good with kids”
It was no coincidence that Royal arrived at the elementary school or in Friedrich’s classroom in late July 2022. Royal’s athletic ability and competitive spirit have made him a standout recruit, poised for a stellar sophomore season with the Ohio State basketball team. Off the court, he exudes a cheerful, youthful charm that was evident very early on.
“When I dropped him off at preschool, the teachers told me his smile lit up the room,” said his mother, Shannon Cornell. “They said on his worst days, he would light up the room. I think he does that for people.”
A few years later, Dave Zwiebel came to the Pickerington School District and began working as a second-grade counselor at Fairfield Elementary. It was there that he first crossed paths with a perpetually smiling student he remembers for his “shaved head (and) big, chubby cheeks.”
Zwiebel has since taken over as principal of Pickerington Elementary, where Royal spent a lot of time as a high school senior. In many ways, Zwiebel says, Royal still resembles the fun-loving child he was ten years ago.
“I mean, do you see him unhappy sometimes?” he said. “Do you see him not smiling sometimes? Of course, he’s a different guy on the field, but when he’s out there, he’s super personable. He’s always ready to help. What I like about him is how well he can handle the kids and play with them.”
That held true even as the weather got worse. Royal started on the basketball court, then moved to Four Square, then took a group photo with about three dozen kids. Tetherball followed, interrupted at times by the rain, and Royal finished the evening with a few rounds of cornhole as the crowd dispersed. True to his nature, Royal tossed a few of his bags into the air in a throwing motion, much to the delight of one of the kids playing with him.
Ohio State University football player and former Central University student Sonny Styles was also there, as was Royal’s father, Daryl Royal. Cornell stood under a tree, trying in vain to stay dry as her son moved from one spot to another, regardless of the weather.
“He was always good with kids,” she said. “He always really, really enjoyed it. Outside of basketball, I would always spend time with younger kids. I think he’s a kid at heart.”
This is good news for his future niece. Royal is excited about becoming an uncle and has already chosen a nickname for himself: “Big Uncle.”
“I’m going to spoil the child, but also, no boy should mess with her, you understand?” he said. “I’m going to be one of those mean uncles who look at you like, ‘What are you doing? Get away (from her).’ For my niece, though, I’m going to be the funniest person she’s ever met.”
Devin Royal gives back in the classroom
Will Hoeflich is now 10 years old and not a big basketball fan. Football is the main sport for the fifth-grader at Pickerington Elementary, so he wasn’t particularly excited to see a key member of the Ohio State men’s basketball team on the playground.
He was just there to meet his classmate from two years ago, who was helping with math and didn’t talk much about basketball.
“It was fun,” Hoeflich said of Royal’s presence in his third-grade class. “Everyone said hello to him. Everyone liked to talk to him. He was just a really funny guy.”
That was the vision Sharon Hannah, an intervention specialist at Pickerington Central, had for Royal when he arrived as a freshman. Not only did she see maturity in the freshman, but Hannah said she saw someone blessed with a rare positive outlook on life.
This combination distinguished Royal from his colleagues.
“You see freshmen at different levels, but Devin definitely stands out as someone who is always a good role model and is committed,” she said. “He always makes the right decisions. He just has a good heart and I think that’s the most important thing. It wasn’t always just about basketball. It was about giving back and having fun and being helpful.”
Friedrich, an assistant coach for the Pickerington North football team, said Royal often stayed after his assigned class time to play with the children during recess.
Royal and Hannah remain close friends. As she cut the tops off frozen popsicles for the children, Hannah wore a purple T-shirt given to Royal’s friends and family during his senior year, identifying her as a member of his team. The longtime educator played a crucial role in getting Royal through high school as he dealt with a diagnosis of dyslexia that was first diagnosed in elementary school.
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“I had a hard time reading much,” he said. “I probably had a specialist since kindergarten. Things definitely got better in high school. When I got there, she welcomed me with open arms and just guided me through high school.”
That kind of gratitude particularly stands out to Zwiebel, who described Royal’s personality as genuine and his impact as significant. No longer the bald, puffy-cheeked boy he met in second grade, Royal is now excited to give back to the school system that supported him on his journey to Ohio State.
Even if that meant braving a torrential rainstorm to hang out with some kids.
“Dude, he’s a kid at heart, man,” Zwiebel said, pointing to Royal mid-game. “Look at him now. He’s really playing square right now. If he had to come here and be here, he might say, ‘What the heck,’ but he’s enjoying it. That’s real, and they see that.”
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