I watched all 7 state championship games in Ohio. They are all televised throughout the state. You wont find a lot of prospects for D1 schools in the lower 3 divisions but the top 4 divisions are where the D1 college talent exists in Ohio.
I will start from the smallest division of the 4, Division 4. Cleveland Glenville was a former pipeline for Ohio State when Jim Tressel was there. Urban Meyer had a more national agenda in recruiting and Glenville did not have the same clout as when John Cooper and Tressel were coaching the Buckeyes. Now, Ryan Day is trying to re-establish that pipeline. Glenville has a LB, ARVELL REESE, that Ohio State is going to sign and a 2024 CB named BRYCE WEST that badly wants to sign with the Buckeyes and is the top kid from Ohio in that class. No one else I saw in the state championship game was a D1 college worthy player though there was talent on the field. Glenville won their first state championship in football under coach Ted Ginn Sr., this year, as they beat Cincinnati Wyoming in the state finals.
Division 3, I did not see anyone that was good enough to play in the Big Ten besides guys already committed. Canfield High School(Youngstown area) beat Bloom Carroll (Columbus area) in the state finals. DIVISION 2 saw Toledo Central Catholic beat Akron Hoban for the state championship. For Toledo CC, BRADEN AWLS is a University of Toledo commit that I believe is good enough to start at a Big Ten school. Great size, quickness, and instincts at Safety or WR. If I was Minnesota, I would keep an eye on sophomore MARK NAVE who is a 6-4 325 pound o-lineman.. LOTS OF UPSIDE to this kid. Hoban has Mr. Football in Ohio in RB LAMAR SPERLING. He had over 350 yards rushing in the state championship game with 3 TDs in a LOSING EFFORT. Great runner that is probably too light(185 pounds) to play RB in the Big Ten but he just does not go down with one hit. He is a coup for University of Buffalo but I think he could have gone bigger than that. Hoban has a starting WR named PAYTON COOK who has good speed and size as a FRESHMAN in high school.. May be a basketball prospect as well. He had 16 catches this year and 4 TDs but Hoban had upperclassmen that were very good weapons so he was not the feature player this year.. He will be a feature player, next year.
DIVISION 1 had Lakewood St Eds(Cleveland area) beating Springfield(northeast of Dayton). Springfield has a player named Anthony Brown whose brother is a Gopher WR and Anthony at one time was committed to Minnesota. Brown is good but I think Minnesota can recruit better players at WR. Springfield has a junior safety AARON SCOTT that could easily play at a school like Minnesota.. Good ballhawk and excellent tackler at safety with good speed. Lakewood St Eds has 2 junior O-linemen that are twins, DEVONTAE and DEONTAE ARMSTRONG.. Both are VERY ATHLETIC and 6-5 285 lbs. Lots of upside and the big schools are calling. They also have a WR that is a junior named KYAN MASON. Problem is that he is 155 lbs, sopping wet, but he will play D1 football.. Super fast, good route runner, and excellent hands. I think Mason is a better prospect than Anthony Brown.
I will start from the smallest division of the 4, Division 4. Cleveland Glenville was a former pipeline for Ohio State when Jim Tressel was there. Urban Meyer had a more national agenda in recruiting and Glenville did not have the same clout as when John Cooper and Tressel were coaching the Buckeyes. Now, Ryan Day is trying to re-establish that pipeline. Glenville has a LB, ARVELL REESE, that Ohio State is going to sign and a 2024 CB named BRYCE WEST that badly wants to sign with the Buckeyes and is the top kid from Ohio in that class. No one else I saw in the state championship game was a D1 college worthy player though there was talent on the field. Glenville won their first state championship in football under coach Ted Ginn Sr., this year, as they beat Cincinnati Wyoming in the state finals.
Division 3, I did not see anyone that was good enough to play in the Big Ten besides guys already committed. Canfield High School(Youngstown area) beat Bloom Carroll (Columbus area) in the state finals. DIVISION 2 saw Toledo Central Catholic beat Akron Hoban for the state championship. For Toledo CC, BRADEN AWLS is a University of Toledo commit that I believe is good enough to start at a Big Ten school. Great size, quickness, and instincts at Safety or WR. If I was Minnesota, I would keep an eye on sophomore MARK NAVE who is a 6-4 325 pound o-lineman.. LOTS OF UPSIDE to this kid. Hoban has Mr. Football in Ohio in RB LAMAR SPERLING. He had over 350 yards rushing in the state championship game with 3 TDs in a LOSING EFFORT. Great runner that is probably too light(185 pounds) to play RB in the Big Ten but he just does not go down with one hit. He is a coup for University of Buffalo but I think he could have gone bigger than that. Hoban has a starting WR named PAYTON COOK who has good speed and size as a FRESHMAN in high school.. May be a basketball prospect as well. He had 16 catches this year and 4 TDs but Hoban had upperclassmen that were very good weapons so he was not the feature player this year.. He will be a feature player, next year.
DIVISION 1 had Lakewood St Eds(Cleveland area) beating Springfield(northeast of Dayton). Springfield has a player named Anthony Brown whose brother is a Gopher WR and Anthony at one time was committed to Minnesota. Brown is good but I think Minnesota can recruit better players at WR. Springfield has a junior safety AARON SCOTT that could easily play at a school like Minnesota.. Good ballhawk and excellent tackler at safety with good speed. Lakewood St Eds has 2 junior O-linemen that are twins, DEVONTAE and DEONTAE ARMSTRONG.. Both are VERY ATHLETIC and 6-5 285 lbs. Lots of upside and the big schools are calling. They also have a WR that is a junior named KYAN MASON. Problem is that he is 155 lbs, sopping wet, but he will play D1 football.. Super fast, good route runner, and excellent hands. I think Mason is a better prospect than Anthony Brown.
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