Ohio has offered a scholarship to Carrollton High School center Stephen Ericksen. It's the first offer for the 6-4, 275-pounder (5.0 forty).

ScoutingOhio.com video:

Honestly, how is that even possible? I know it sounds snobby, and I'm sorry, but I'm genuinely curious. 

Oh yeah, I believe Leavitt said he barely committed on time. Thanks for the response T2 

Perhaps he's just interested in getting on the field early? It seems like in Athens, even the best guys won't start until their junior year or so.

He'll be here all week, folks. 

I'd say it has to do with getting on the field quickly and his family can be in Akron rather quickly.

To add to the odd selection is that he is a very strong student and had several Ivy League and strong academic schools on his list (Harvard, Yale, Cornell, Northwestern, Duke...). The rest of his list was schools close to Carrollton (Akron, Kent State). It appears staying close to home won out over going to a stronger academic school.

Carrollton has scored 105 points in their first two games mostly running behind a line that is bigger than many college lines. Maybe there is a chance to continue playing at the next level with one of his teammates.

Considering that he's already graduated, I should probably drop it. (nah...)

Each kid is going to have different reasons for choosing schools, and some reasons seem better than others. While his seems silly to us, maybe it was a good choice for him because he wanted to hang out more than work out. One of the interesting things about the recruiting process is that each school has a somewhat different football culture. That culture is going to attract certain types of players, which in turn reinforce that culture. That's one reason it takes awhile to build a really strong program - you have to build the culture first. It's also a reason why, once the culture is in place, the program tends to keep going for years. It's also a reason that when you bring in a coach from the outside that doesn't understand the community, or attempts to change it, that it can be so disruptive.

What I love about the "Relentless" series is that it gives us a glimpse of the culture. It's a culture of a close community, but a community that works hard, and takes what they are doing seriously. Its a culture of winning with quiet confidence, not arrogance, a culture very focused on the task at hand. With that culture in place, the recruits that are going to be attracted to Ohio are ones that want the same thing - the opportunity to work hard, to succeed, to win, and to be part of a tight community. As they attract more players of the same type, the community builds, and reinforces, and it will continue to win.

That's one reason it never really bothers me to lose this kid, or that one. If someone likes the culture, and wants to be a part of it, they give the verbal, and if they don't think they will fit, they go somewhere else. When it's all said and done, the selection process is a two way street. The coaches try to select the right players, and the right player select Ohio.

I think Ohio has historically recruited this area poorly. Like you said, each kid has different reasons for choosing a school. I think when you have options, often the choice is going to be where you feel most comfortable. Especially in a small town like Carrollton there is going to be a lot of influence from family and friends. He has extended family members that have or are playing Division 1 and I don't think they were recruited by Ohio.

The more we recruit teammates and opponents we increase the chances of kids saying yes to Ohio. Maybe we should look at a couple of his linemates. The tackles on his offensive line are Joe Grubbs at 6'5" 270# and Dakota Maple at 6'3" 285#. Maple is very athletic and has great footwork for someone his size.