Bill Kurelic's May Posts May 26th Running back Anthony Jackson (5'9 180 4.4) from Boca Raton Olympic Heights (FL) gained over 1000 yards as a sophomore. He ran for 1250 as a junior and scored 26 times. Jackson has run a 10.6 100 meters in track and has a 2.2 GPA. "Right now I'm open," Jackson said. "I get mail from MISSOURI, INDIANA, WEST VIRGINIA, OHIO STATE, MICHIGAN STATE, FLORIDA STATE, MIAMI, FLORIDA, there's a lot of others too. I'll look at all of them, but I'm real open. Ohio State writes to me a lot. I like them." Jamal Muhammad (6'1 230 4.55) from Stone Mountain (GA) starts at both inside linebacker and fullback. He made 128 tackles including six sacks last season and would prefer to play on defense in college. Muhammad has a 2.7 GPA and scored a 1000 on the SAT. "OHIO STATE, MARYLAND, and FLORIDA STATE are my three favorite schools," Muhammad said. "Actually Ohio State is the one I like best. I like how they win. I've watched them on T.V. a lot. That's how I got interested in them. Some other schools I like are ALABAMA, ARKANSAS, FLORIDA, and OLE MISS." Quarterback Jeff Smoker (6'4 195 4.7) from Manheim Central (Penn.) made an unofficial visit to Ohio State this past weekend, and came away very impressed. "I liked it a lot at Ohio State," Smoker said. "I got to see everything and I talked to some players. I met coach Cooper too. OHIO STATE is one of the schools I most interested in. MICHIGAN, NORTH CAROLINA, NOTRE DAME, SYRACUSE, and MICHIGAN STATE are the other main ones I'm looking at. All of them except Notre Dame have offered me a scholarship. I don't have a favorite right now. I think the earliest I would decided would be July or maybe August. If I don't decide by then I might wait until January or February. But I'd like to decide before the start of the football season." Smoker completed 63% of his passes this past season for 1993 yards and 17 touchdowns. He was picked off just five times. Another quarterback the Buckeyes are interested in who has made an unofficial visit to Ohio State is Matt LoVecchio (6'3 195 4.7) from Oradel Bergen Catholic (NJ). LoVecchio was at Ohio State's junior recruiting day in April. "I like OHIO STATE, NOTRE DAME, NORTH CAROLINA, and MIAMI," Lovecchio said. "None of those schools have offered me a scholarship yet, but some others have. WISCONSIN, PURDUE, RUTGERS, and SYRACUSE have offered. I'm open to those schools and some others too. I went to Ohio State's junior recruiting day in April, and then I went to Notre Dame's spring game. I'm going to camps at Notre Dame, North Carolina, and Miami this summer." Wide receiver John Hollins
(6'2 185 4.53) from Huber Heights Wayne (Ohio) caught 45
passes last season and scored 11 touchdowns. He has Offensive lineman Jonathan Pressnell (6'6 295 5.2) from Lakewood (Ohio) is a huge guard who recruiters are taking a close look at. Pressnell has a 4.2 GPA and scored a 1370 on the SAT. "OHIO STATE is first on my list," Pressnell said. "They've already been to my school. NOTRE DAME, KENTUCKY, PITT, PENN STATE, and BOSTON COLLEGE are the other schools I'm thinking about right now. Pitt said that if I go to their camp they'll offer me a scholarship." There are no "Blue-Chip" quarterbacks in the state of Ohio this season, but there are several good ones the Buckeyes are taking a look at. One of those is Rick McFadden (6'7 205 4.9) from Youngstown Struthers. McFadden completed 137 of 235 passes last season for 1677 yards. He connected for 16 touchdowns with nine interceptions. McFadden has a 3.2 GPA. He told me that Ohio State is now one of the three schools he is most interested in. "INDIANA, OHIO STATE, and VIRGINIA, those are the three I'm most interested in right now," McFadden said. "Indiana has offered me a scholarship and most of the MAC schools have offered me a scholarship for football and basketball. I'm going to go to the first session of Ohio State's football ball camp, and I'll go to Indiana's camp too." McFadden is from the same school as running back Walter Reyes, who the Buckeyes have offered a scholarship to. Nathan Poole (6'1 170 4.7) from Grove City is another in-state quarterback the Buckeyes are taking a look at. Poole, who completed 55% of his passes for 1830 yards last season, has a 3.9 GPA. "Obviously I like OHIO STATE, their number one," Poole said. "PURDUE is second, and I like STANFORD, KENTUCKY, and WEST VIRGINIA too. I'm going to go to Ohio State's camp this summer." Running back Marcus Sanders (6'0 180 4.5) from Ravenna (OH) gained 1421 yards last season and scored 19 touchdowns. He averaged 8.7 per carry. Sanders has been a varsity starter since his freshman season. He has a 3.0 GPA. "I'll wait till after the season to concentrate on schools," Sanders said. "But some I like are OHIO STATE, MICHIGAN STATE, MICHIGAN, WISCONSIN, PENN STATE, PITT, and NORTH CAROLINA. Pitt, Maryland, Kentucky, and Bowling Green have offered me a scholarship. A coach from Michigan was at my school not too long ago." Defensive end Sam Ruhe (6'5 240 4.6) from Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit (Ohio) made an unofficial visit to Ohio State on Monday. He toured the facilities, spoke with some of the coaches, and was again offered a scholarship. Ruhe did not commit, but Ohio State has now moved into the lead for his services. "I liked it down there," Ruhe said. "I feel a little more comfortable there now. I liked the atmosphere, the program, how things are run. But I didn't commit. I like OHIO STATE and NOTRE DAME. Today I'd say I like Ohio State most, but I was just there too. I plan to go see MICHIGAN sometime in early June and PENN STATE sometime in June. I'm looking at NORTHWESTERN a little too. Ohio State, Penn State, and Northwestern have offered a scholarship, and Notre Dame said they will have one for me too." The Buckeyes have been sending mail to wide receiver John Standeford (6'4 175 4.5) from Monrovia (Ind.) since his sophomore season. As a junior Standeford caught 63 passes for 993 yards (15.8 ave.) and scored 12 times. He is also an All-State basketball player who averaged 21 points per game this past season. However John will likely go the football route in college. He has a 3.4 GPA. Schools in contact with John who are on his list include OHIO STATE, NOTRE DAME, TENNESSEE, PURDUE, MICHIGAN STATE, NEBRASKA, NORTHWESTERN, and STANFORD. May 18th A player the Buckeyes have shown some
interest in is on the verge of committing to Michigan.
Fullback Kevin Dudley (6'1 220 4.55)
from Brookville Franklin County (Ind.) rushed for 1272
yards on 195 carries, Offensive lineman Joel Rodriguez (6'4 275 5.0) from Miami Pace (Flor.) has started at offensive tackle since his sophomore season. He will play defensive tackle as a senior, but will be either a guard or center in college. Rodriguez has a 3.8 GPA and scored 26 on the ACT. "I'm looking at a lot of schools," Rodriguez said. "OHIO STATE, MICHIGAN, DUKE, STANFORD, MIAMI, FLORIDA, those are some of them. I don't have a favorite. It doesn't make any difference to me whether the school is far away or close to home. I spoke to a coach from Michigan, coach Campbell. I get a lot of mail from Ohio State. I sent them a film." Lee Sunsdahl (6'7 245 4.7) from Neillsville (Wisc.) plays tight end, wide receiver, and does his team's punting. He caught 21 passes as a junior for 200 yards, averaging close to 10 yards per grab. Lee scored 12 touchdowns. He also averaged 38.9 yards per punt. Lee bench presses 235 pounds and has a 30 inch vertical jump. He was an All-State basketball selection too, averaging 22 points and 12 rebounds per game. Lee could play either sport in college. He names WISCONSIN as his favorite for football, but is also interested in NOTRE DAME, NEBRASKA, OHIO STATE, FLORIDA, TENNESSEE, MICHIGAN, UCLA, and SYRACUSE. For basketball he says MINNESOTA is his favorite, but is also looking at IOWA, MICHIGAN STATE, and OHIO STATE. Lee has a 2.3 GPA. He said he is getting plenty of mail from the Buckeyes for football and has spoken with Ohio State basketball coach Jim O'Brien. Running back DeWayne Long (6'1 210 4.5) from West Des Moines Dowling (IA) has the Buckeyes as one of his six favorites. "I have a top six of NEBRASKA, NOTRE DAME, IOWA, IOWA STATE, MICHIGAN STATE, and OHIO STATE," Long said. "Those schools are showing a lot of interest in me." Now let's get to the latest on Sean McHugh (6'6 240 4.75), another of the top five prospects in the state of Ohio. "PENN STATE and MICHIGAN are dead even now," McHugh said. "After that NOTRE DAME and OHIO STATE are tied for third. Ohio State has offered me a scholarship now (the other three schools had already offered). If I had to make an estimate I'd say I'll make a decision around mid-summer to August. I'll probably go to Michigan and Penn State's camps for a day or two this summer." Dan Mooney (6'5 270 5.0) from Cleveland St. Ignatius is one of the top offensive linemen in the state of Ohio. Mooney, who's sister plays basketball at Virginia, has qualified academically. "VIRGINIA, DUKE, and GEORGIA TECH have offered me a scholarship, but I'm not looking at Georgia Tech," Mooney said. "MICHIGAN, NOTRE DAME, OHIO STATE, and STANFORD are the other schools I like. I'd say Duke is my leader, but I don't think I'll decide anything till at least late in the summer. I might go to Notre Dame and Duke's camp this summer." May 12, 1999 Offensive lineman Matt Ulrich (6'4 285 4.95) from Streamwood (Ill.) has started at both offensive tackle and defensive end since his sophomore season. However he will play either guard or center in college. Ulrich has a 4.0 GPA. KENTUCKY has offered a scholarship. Ulrich is looking at the Wildcats as well as ILLINOIS, STANFORD, NORTHWESTERN, INDIANA, UCLA, MICHIGAN STATE, OHIO STATE, and MICHIGAN. "But I'm pretty much keeping an open mind," Ulrich said on Monday night. Brock Stratton (6'0 215 4.6) from San Antonio Roosevelt (Texas) is not the biggest middle linebacker in the state of Texas, but he is definitely one of the best. Stratton made 146 tackles as a junior. He is very aggressive and loves contact. Stratton bench presses 350 pounds and squats over 500. He has a 3.8 GPA. Stratton is hearing from the likes of OHIO STATE, TEXAS A&M, TEXAS, NOTRE DAME, NEBRASKA, COLORADO, STANFORD, TENNESSEE, BYU, MICHIGAN STATE, NORTHWESTERN, and many others. He has all of those schools on his list. Offensive lineman Richard Pope (6'5 270 4.9) from Evanston (Ill.) continues to have an interest in the Buckeyes. "TENNESSEE, MICHIGAN, UCLA, WASHINGTON, TEXAS A&M, those are some schools I like," Pope said on Monday night. "But there's some others too like ILLINOIS, OHIO STATE, and NEBRASKA. Some of those schools have told my coach they want me." Pope benches 285 pounds and has been a varsity starter the past two seasons. May 7th Another Californian the Buckeyes will likely take a look at is kicker John Wall (5'9 165) from Van Nuys Birmingham. Wall made 15 of 23 field goals last season with two coming from 53 yards out. He also connected on 13 of 13 extra points and has made 29 straight over a two year period. Wall averages 37 yards a punt as well. He has a 3.2 GPA. "MICHIGAN and WASHINGTON are my two favorites," Wall said. Other schools he is considering are TENNESSEE, NOTRE DAME, MICHIGAN STATE, NEBRASKA, OREGON STATE, WASHINGTON STATE, and USC. The Buckeyes want to sign a kicker in this recruiting class and expect OHIO STATE to be in the mix as well. Running back Mike Vernillo (5'10 195 4.4) from McDonald Fort Cherry (Penn.) has been a varsity starter since his freshman season and ran for 1600 yards that year. As a sophomore he gained 2600, then this past season rushed for another 1500. As a junior Mike averaged close to nine yards per carry and scored 25 touchdowns. He is also a very good cornerback prospect and picked off five passes this past season. Mike returns punts and kickoffs as well. He has a 3.0 GPA. Mike names WEST VIRGINIA, who has offered a scholarship, as his favorite, but is also interested in PENN STATE, OHIO STATE, MARYLAND, and BOSTON COLLEGE. Running back Troy Swittenberg (5'11 185 4.4) from Norristown (Penn.) ran for 1500 yards as a sophomore and gained another 1800 this past season. As a junior he averaged 8 yards per carry and scored 18 touchdowns. Troy has good strength for his size, bench pressing 245 pounds. He is interested in OHIO STATE, PENN STATE, KENTUCKY, MIAMI, NORTH CAROLINA STATE, NORTH CAROLINA, and UCLA. Nick Regan (6'1 225 4.6) from Springfield Ryan (Penn.) is not as tall as the prototype linebacker prospect, but he is still a good one and recruiters are taking notice. He has started every game on the varsity since his freshman season. As a junior Nick made 131 tackles and picked off four passes. Nick, who bench presses 315 pounds, has a 3.9 GPA. PENN STATE, NOTRE DAME, and NORTHWESTERN are his three favorite schools though Nick is also interested in OHIO STATE, WEST VIRGINIA, PITT, and IOWA.May 5th. It's looking pretty good for the Buckeyes to land one of the Midwest's finest linemen. Alex Stepanovich (6'5 275 5.0) from Berea (Ohio), who is an outstanding prospect on both sides of the ball, looks like he will announce a decision in June. "It's pretty much down to OHIO STATE and MICHIGAN," Stepanovich said on Tuesday. "NOTRE DAME is coming to my school Wednesday and NEBRASKA is supposed to come here, but Ohio State and Michigan have been recruiting me the longest. I plan to visit each one in June and then make a decision. I'd have to say I'm leaning to Ohio State. My brother (Nick) wrestles there and it's my home state school and all. But I think I need to see each school one more time. I'll talk to both coach Cooper and coach Carr when I visit the schools, then announce a decision." Noah Herron (5'11 215 4.4) from Mattawan (Mich.) rushed for 2039 yards and averaged close to 10 yards a carry as a junior. He scored 33 touchdowns. Herron, who is also a return man, helped lead his team to a 9-1 record. He has outstanding speed, yet can break tackles and is very durable. Herron has a 2.7 GPA. He has made unofficial visits to MICHIGAN, MICHIGAN STATE, OHIO STATE, PENN STATE, NOTRE DAME, VIRGINIA, and INDIANA. "I really don't have a favorite," Herron said. "Indiana and Virginia have offered me a scholarship, but I'm not close to deciding anything." May 4, 1999 Andrew Morrell (6'2 230 4.7) from Marion (Ind.) made 72 tackles from his middle linebacker spot as a junior. He bench presses 310 pounds and has a 2.4 GPA. "I like OHIO STATE, WISCONSIN, MICHIGAN, INDIANA, PURDUE, NOTRE DAME, and BOSTON COLLEGE," Morrell said. "But Ohio State and Michigan are my two favorites. My favorite college player is Andy Katzenmoyer and I've always liked Michigan." It looked like offensive lineman Nick Marmo (6'6 310 5.2) from New Castle (PA) was going to commit to Penn State today, but at least for now that has been postponed. "I was going to commit to PENN STATE on Monday, but I changed my mind," Marmo said on Sunday night. "Me and my dad were talking and he suggested I wait. What he said made sense so I don't think I'll do anything till at least the summer. Penn State is still my favorite, but I'm still looking at OHIO STATE, MICHIGAN, PITT, and maybe TENNESSEE a little. They've all offered me now. I'm not looking at NOTRE DAME or NEBRASKA anymore." Marmo, who has played both guard and center, is one of the country's finest offensive linemen. Quarterback Bill Liber (6'4 195 4.8) from North Canton Hoover (Ohio) visited several schools during the month of April including OHIO STATE. He visited the Buckeyes for their junior recruiting day on Saturday April 17. Liber then went to MICHIGAN STATE's spring game on Saturday April 24th. After that he made an unofficial visit to MICHIGAN on Tuesday, April 27th. Liber is looking at those three schools as well as PURDUE, INDIANA, PENN STATE, WISCONSIN, and WAKE FOREST. Liber's father played tight end and defensive end for Purdue. Liber completed 106 of 187 passes (57%) this past season for 1676 yards and 24 touchdowns. He has the potential to be the top quarterback in the state of Ohio by the end of his senior season. Running back DeWayne Long
(6'1 210 4.5) from West Des Moines Dowling (Iowa) also
made a series of unofficial visits to schools during the
month of April. Long visited NOTRE DAME, NEBRASKA,
NORTHWESTERN, IOWA, and IOWA STATE. Other schools he is
considering include MICHIGAN, OHIO STATE, MICHIGAN STATE, Demetrius Fields (5'11 190 4.4) from Cleveland (Tenn.) is one of the finest running back prospects in the South. He has been a varsity starter since his freshman season. As a junior Fields rushed for over 3000 yards. He has a 2.5 GPA. "I'm thinking about TENNESSEE, but I haven't visited there yet, so I'm still looking around," Fields said. "I've got a big jar full of letters. KENTUCKY, ALABAMA, MISSISSIPPI, NEBRASKA, UCLA, FLORIDA STATE, OHIO STATE, PENN STATE, NOTRE DAME, MICHIGAN, I'm wide open. I'm looking nationwide." |