Scoutingohio.com is reporting Austen Pleasants has committed to OHIO U he is a 6'8 300 OT   from coal Grove OH

He was First Team all-SE Ohio, Division VI last year and Special Mention all-Ohio, Division VI. Ted shows that he had offers from Akron and Toledo.

This class is picking up right where 2014 left off. Everyone so far in-state and highly sought after/evaluated by the coaching staff. I can remember years ago when we'd end up with a lot of project players with Ohio as the only MAC level offer.

I remember well, back in 2007, when Jay Edwards (Nelsonville) was being recruited, someone on the board used to knock the talent in SE Ohio and say that SE Ohio just didn't produce Division I level talent, but Ohio seems to be finding some and getting them on board. Some that I can think of are Sam Johnson (Baltimore), Carpenter (Lancaster), Pleasants (Coal Grove), Leavitt (Thornville),  McCray (Minford), and Williams (Athens) and I'm sure there are more that I didn't think of. Besides the scholarship players, Ohio has also been adding walkons and preferred walkons from the area, like Jacob Koons  (Trimble), Mitch Rider (Athens), and Jerrid Marhefka (St. Clairsville).

To me, this is all part of assuring the long term success of Ohio Football. Ohio needs to be THE football team of SE Ohio, one that kids in the area grow up watching and supporting and hoping to play for, and also have a broad awareness and general support across the state. They are never going to displace the Evil Empire as the dream of players statewide, but they can establish themselves as one of the "other teams" that comes to mind first.

Recruiting SE Ohio athletes will pay dividends three ways. First, it will get them some good players now. Second, it will inspire younger players in the area to think that someday they, too, could earn a scholarship to play for Ohio if they work hard, meaning that in the future there will be more Division I caliber players from SE Ohio. Third, it will help build fan support for Ohio Football across SE Ohio.

I tend to lump SEO and the greater Columbus area together, since there is some overlap.  I've been very impressed with the efforts the staff has made to recruit this region.  And now Delaware County to the north, which is growing almost exponentially, is an area worth going after as well.  Keep 'em flowing down the Route 33 pipeline...

Article from Huntington Herald-Dispatch:

Now who does that sound like?!?! :)

That was almost certainly me...and I have to say the names you listed haven't move the needle much over the past 7 years.

Well, Jay Edwards was a starter as a junior, but missed his Senior season, when he presumably would have played his best football for academic reasons, as I recall. As for Sam Johnson, it's hard to fault him for not being able to beat out Herman for the starting job. He did play well when he was in games, and I think Johnson would have been very good his Senior year, but unfortunately was hurt about 30 snaps into the very first game, and never played again.  As for the others, they are either still playing, or just coming into the program. I think we'll have to wait a few more years before we know if they will be the ones that do move that needle for you.

C Money, did you get to the Coal Grove game?

Any word on how Mr. Pleasants performed for Coal Grove?

Fairland, although I haven't been to a game in 5 years probably. The coaching situation has been a mess for a decade, local politics and egos pretty much trumping what is the best for the kids. My dad coached on the youth and junior high level for 20+ years, and things got so bad even he had to walk away from it.

I hadn't seen the official word come down, but I heard rumors it was coming. Very very very very dumb things done by people who really should know better.

Like I said, it's been a mess for a decade. Egos trumping common sense. This may be the best thing to happen in the long run, if it causes the people who need to go to be gone, but it sucks for the kids.

I know every single person named in that article, and there is some major cognitive dissonance going on based on some of those comments. Very good, level-headed people, who have been involved in the school district for a long time, are having a very tough time understanding how this happened, or even accepting that it did happen.

And no one is taking responsibility. That's the worst part of it. Nobody wants the kids to feel the wrath, but no "adult" will take the blame, so the kids will suffer.

And if the rumors are to be believed, some of the people named in that article really should be ashamed of themselves.