When Jim Tressel replaced John Cooper early in 2001, he switched Childress from cornerback to receiver. Soon after, Bam caught a touchdown in the spring game – but went without a reception in the fall.
In 2002, Childress scored three TDs in the spring scrimmage and was listed as second team behind Chris Vance. But Chris Gamble’s emergence pushed Childress to the margins, and he ended the regular season with four catches.
The headline after the 2003 spring game was “Bam Steals the Show.” Childress scored TDs on a 94-yard kickoff return and two long receptions. But again he was listed as second-team in the fall. And when starter Drew Carter went down with a knee injury, Santonio Holmes stole Bam’s show.
Childress made a spectacular one-handed 30-yard catch in the 2004 spring game and nearly topped it with a devastating spin move to elude a defender on a 10-yard catch-and-run. Finally, in the fall he made some noise with 17 catches for 205 yards.
