Former Ohio State running back Maurice Wells is now suiting up for a career in law.

Former Ohio State running back Maurice Wells is now suiting up for a career in law.

It’s been several years since Maurice Wells put on the number 34 jersey to play football at The Ohio State University. Wells was a Buckeye running back for four years, including two college football championship appearances in 2007 and 2008, and teammates with Chris “Beanie” Wells and Dan “Boom” Herron.

After Wells earned a degree in strategic communications from Ohio State in 2009, his mom, who’s a lawyer in Maryland, suggested he continue his education.

“She suggested I think about law school, but I wasn’t passionate about it at that time,” he said.

Football was still his passion. Despite a try-out with the NFL’s Buffalo Bills and “a brief second” on a UFL team, Wells gave up the dream of a pro career and went to work in the private sector to help support his young family.

Two years ago, he decided to follow his mom’s advice and enrolled in law school. Now in his second year at Capital University in Columbus, Wells is on track to graduate in May 2017 and take the bar exam that July. His original goal of getting into sports entertainment law has now shifted to litigation.

“I love the preparation and the teamwork, and I like the competitive nature of litigation. My goal is to work at a mid-to-large law firm and then in 10 years move to Maryland and work for the federal government,” he added.

Wells is currently serving an externship at the Ohio Supreme Court Office of Public Information, where he hopes to improve his writing skills and gain a better perspective on legal precedent by writing Supreme Court oral argument previews and summarizing decisions.

He still follows the Ohio State football team as a fan, and is easily engaged in conversation about the team’s chances of repeating as national champions or whether Cardale Jones or J.T. Barrett should be the starting quarterback.

“I love watching the games. If I’m busy, I’m recording and then watching.”

His busy schedule, aside from a full class load and the externship, includes his family, wife Brandy and daughters Kennedy, 8, and Karter, 1.

When asked what his life motto is, Wells summed it up in one word: “Confidence. You can have all the skill in the world, but you need confidence to succeed. Successful people have confidence and always believe in themselves.”