Forget the QBs, Ezekiel Elliott Is Ohio State's Biggest Celebrity

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Wearing a St. Louis Cardinals cap to represent his hometown, Ezekiel Elliott tried to fit in as he attended last month's Arnold Sports Festival in downtown Columbus. He stared in amazement at the musclebound models, checked out the newest lines of nutrition supplements and even took in a couple of professional wrestling matches.

But even more so than the models—and perhaps only second to the host of the event, Arnold Schwarzenegger—it was Elliott who caused the most heads to turn as he wandered around the annual celebration of sports and fitness. Everywhere the Ohio State running back went, people took notice, chatting him up or asking for the occasional picture for their Instagram accounts.

This is the new normal for Elliott, whose epic run in the Big Ten title game and College Football Playoff have turned him into one of Columbus' biggest celebrities at 19 years old. While Cardale Jones, Braxton Miller, J.T. Barrett and even Joey Bosa may garner the headlines from the national media, it's been Elliott who's been the most beloved Buckeye after he totaled 696 yards and eight touchdowns in Ohio State's three postseason games.

"Buckeye Nation just has the strongest fanbase in the world," Elliott said on Thursday. "Wherever I go, I'm going to be noticed, and that's something that I enjoy. I enjoy being out there and giving back to the fans and having a good time with them."

It's not just Elliott's MVP performances that have won over the Ohio State fans—although those certainly haven't hurt. In addition to being one of the nation's best running backs and one of the biggest reasons why the Buckeyes were able to win their eighth national championship in January, the Show Me State native has also been able to showcase his jovial personality throughout the first two years of his college career.

Some of that has come in postgame celebrations, where Elliott has been caught capturing confetti with his tongue and performing his "salmon" dance with the Ohio State offensive linemen. But arguably the biggest non-football cause of Elliott's celebrity has been his signature crop-top-style jersey, which has been mimicked by Buckeye fans in more than one social media post.

Elliott's half-shirt has already been etched into Ohio State lore, but thanks to a new rule, that's the only place it will likely be found. Earlier this offseason, the NCAA decided that players wearing illegal equipment "such as jerseys tucked under the shoulder pads or exposed back pads" will be forced to leave the field of play and will be unable to return until their equipment has been corrected.

"The NCAA has its rules, and it's our job to abide by them," Elliott said with a smile. "It just seems like a silly rule, but it's something you can't really make that big of a deal about. It's just a jersey."

Buckeye Nation disagrees.

So much so, in fact, that a "Save the Crop Top" petition has gone viral, along with a #SaveTheCropTop hashtag on Twitter. As of Thursday, the petition has accumulated 8,850 supporters, including one very special signature.

"Mine is definitely on it," Elliott said with a laugh.

"It's pretty funny to see how much the fans love it. It really just shows how passionate Buckeye Nation is. I think right now the petition has almost 10,000 signatures. To see the support from the fans, it's great."

With the petition unlikely to change the NCAA's decision, it's a good thing Elliott has something to fall back on other than fashion. As he showed throughout his sophomore season, he also happens to be a pretty good football player too, rushing for 1,878 yards and 18 touchdowns.

Having played the entire 2014 campaign with a fractured left wrist that never fully healed—Elliott said he couldn't even carry the ball with his left hand by the end of the season—the 6'0", 225-pounder is taking the spring off in order to get back to full strength. Injury concerns haven't limited expectations for his second season as the Buckeyes' starter, however, as he enters 2015 as the preseason favorite to win the Heisman Trophy, according to Odds Shark.

"I just feel blessed to be given this opportunity," Elliott said of his 6-1 Heisman odds. "Being able to compete for the Heisman, it's surreal, it's a blessing, and I can't do nothing but thank God and my boys for the opportunity to get to experience all of this."

But does Elliott—even without his crop top—think fans should take that bet?

"I think it'd be a good one," he said, his picture-ready smile present.

Ben Axelrod is Bleacher Report's Big Ten Lead Writer. You can follow him on Twitter @BenAxelrod. Unless noted otherwise, all quotes were obtained firsthand. All statistics courtesy of CFBStats.com. Recruiting rankings courtesy of 247Sports.