Giving back to the community is in Carson Hinzman’s blood.
When his family immigrated to the United States, one of his relatives fought for the Union Army in the Civil War. Once settled, his father’s family plotted out land that would be farmed for generations. Hinzman, a fifth-year student at The Ohio State University and member of the offensive line for the Buckeye football team, grew up on that same 300-acre farm.
“A dairy farm is an every day, twice a day, no breaks sort of thing,” he said. “It instilled in me a lot of values. I learned from my grandma and grandpa, who lived on a farm close by.”
As Hinzman puts it, farming isn’t a job; it’s a way of life – which made training for football the fun part of his day, no matter how challenging it was.
“Whenever we’re training, doing something really difficult, I’m like, ‘Man, this is fun,’” he said. “I don’t know if the guys understand that this is time when we’re allowed to go do something, hang out together.”
It is the values he learned from farming that have made Hinzman a success at Ohio State. He is currently working on his second bachelor’s degree and is a three-time university scholar-athlete, as well as a 2025 first-team All-American.
Now, he wants to help people with the same values give back to the communities that taught them. Hinzman founded the Grit & Grain Foundation with his father, Jon. The foundation will give kids from rural and blue-collar communities more opportunities to succeed, Hinzman said.
“Through mentorship, athletics, education and service, we want to help young people build confidence, develop strong character and take pride in where they come from.
“I want people to hone in on their values, that work ethic that was instilled in you and let that take you to your next level,” he said. “It could be sports or something else, like engineering, that becomes your next great opportunity. You grow your own legacy and then come back to the community to pick up that teaching role.”
“Community is important to our players and to our team.,” said head football coach Ryan Day. “To see Carson take on this role of supporting the people and the industry that made him who he is today, I am very proud of him and his efforts.”
Ohio State football players are very visible to the public, and with that comes responsibility, Hinzman said,
“It’s only right for us to give back to the community. Those are the people that put us in this position and give us the opportunity to be Ohio State football players. They’re what makes Ohio State football great,” he said. “Without them, we’d just be a club team hitting pads.”
Having worked with his grandparents, Hinzman knows that older farmers often need help, either with immediate needs or longer-term goals.
“Those people that developed the community” deserve respect and support, he said.
“It’s important for the next generation to hear about farming because right now, people don’t think farming is the coolest thing to do,” he said. “It is hard work, it is demanding but it’s also one of the most rewarding things you can do, work the land.”
Hinzman is a fixture at the university’s annual Farm Science Review, where he emphasizes the significance of small farms. And he walks the walk, too. Hinzman has personally helped farmers clean up their land after storms. He brings his Buckeye teammates with him when he can.
“For the guys who grew up in the city, who grew up in the suburbs, this is a very different lifestyle,” he said. “For them to see that this is the backbone of America and how farmers support you, that’s important.”
And football players are made for lifting bales of hay, he added.
“We have a lot of big guys who can move a lot of weight, that’s for sure.”