D-I Talent in Southern Ohio...

[Orange and Brown]

Are there any schools looking at NY's Arnold.(At any level)????

That kid is a beast and he is only going to get better. He is so much fun to watch on the feild.

[bulldog0909]

In this area, I think it is hard for most of us to realize how good you have to be just to be on a D1 team. I think the most recent overall success of a player from this area going D1 is Brad Young from Wellston at Ohio University.

brad young was a beast,but another person havin sucess at the d1 level is grant gregory,sittin just fine at southern florida...

[qualified101]

is that where his dad coaches?

[cowboy nut 88]

john neff -logan

[Orange and Brown]

In this area, I think it is hard for most of us to realize how good you have to be just to be on a D1 team. I think the most recent overall success of a player from this area going D1 is Brad Young from Wellston at Ohio University.

brad young was a beast,but another person havin sucess at the d1 level is grant gregory,sittin just fine at southern florida...

But he isn't really from here. He was at Athens because his dad was a coordinater at Ohio U.
Last time I checked he only gets to play clean up.

[qualified101]

gregory was supposed to be the next qb god at indiana. how did that work out? id say daddy pulled some strings.

[BlizzardMan]

Easy guys. As long as his school is getting paid for, hr is doing alright. What about Smith from South Point. Does he hava a legitimate chance to start at Marshall?

[madpolecat]

It's kind of a shame, but the last I heard, Smith had left the team at Marshall.

I do hope that he is successful even if he never returns to the field.

[knockout 15]

2010
Dylan Guthrie, VC
Andy Grillo, VC

2011
Adam Ward, VC

2012
Luke Thompson, VC
also maybe
Joey Batey, VC
Curtis Lindner, VC

lil vike you are crazy every football player sucks from VC and from meigs j. well and jermey smith

[GreasyRidgeGuru]

It is really hard to evan be noticed by D-1 schools (except OJIO U.) let alone recruted. Lets face it with a few exceptions we live in a black hole compared to the rest of the state when it comes to D-1 schools recruting.

We get a lot of kids going to lower division schools to play football and get an education, so I will take that as a blessing for SE Ohio.

Thats not really the case. Every college, D-1 through NAIA has coaches responsible for every area in a state. If there is a legit DI player, whether it be Dublin Coffman or at Racine Southern, the college coaches will find them. Even if their Head Coach doesn't do much to promote them, the network of opposing coaches and plain ole' technology that exists will eventually get that kids name out there. Several years ago I would agree with you, but not today.
The one thing that DOES hurt kids in rural areas is COMPETITION. Thats the hard part. When the coaches do get their names and they start to evaluate them, it's hard for them to know what they're looking at.Especially if it's a lineman or DB/WR. QB's and RB's are a litle easier to evaluate due to their position. They can look at a QB's mechanics or judge a RB's speed by counting his steps within 10 yards etc..., But,linemen are a different story. They can look good if they are playing against inferior athletes. WR's and DB's are hard, just bc not too many teams throw the ball.LB's can often be judged by the amount of field they cover, their reads, downhill play etc...
The truth is though, once you've coached at the college level, you KNOW what a college athlete looks like.The fact is, there just aren't that many DI kids in southern Ohio, let alone DII, DIII or NAIA.They may have the talent, but do they have EVERYTHING it takes? Unfortunately the anwser is NO more times than not.And when they are good enough, look at how many of them don't last. Look at the past 5 years.The Smith kid at Marshall,the boy from Valley that went to Kentucky,the Henderson boy from East had a full ride at DII Urbana and didn't even show up for camp, JoJo Parker from Portsmouth went to DII Fairmont, made it to his JR year and quit b/c he had to share time with and was eventually beat out by Wendell Johnson from Miami, FL., and there are countless others. Just go talk to a coach at a typical small school, like DII NCAA Charleston(WV) or Findlay. They may bring in 30 kids in a recruiting class, but every year they graduate 10-15 SR's.Thats at last half or more of the kids that DO make it to the campus that end up making it through 4 years. They just don't have what it takes to make it all 4 years. The sheer competitiveness at each position is crazy. Every kid there was All-State, from about every state imaginable.
It's amazing how hard it is to play at the next level, whether it be Morehead State, Marshall, Ohio State, Mt. Union, Charleston, or Kentucky Christian. The levels of competition are different but the demands are the SAME.
Look at the boy from Chillicothe(Beeler). A lot of SEOPS posters know how good he was. His coaches and opposing coaches thought for sure he'd go at least MAC or DI-AA. He even had Urban Meyer(his Uncle) making calls for him. No one took the chance to offer him. So, he goes to DII West Liberty State and I just saw that he was All-Region as a So(only 4 regions in the whole country), and is eligible for ALL-American honors, and will likely be Pre-season All American for 2009. Did he have what it takes to be DI? We'll never know, but he is proving that he's the cream of the D2 crop, even as a So. Was it the competition, or lack of, at CHS and Huntington? Who knows. At least he took advantage of the opportunity life granted him and he's making the best of it.
I sure do wish these kids would realize what it takes to go to the next level, and if they're fortunate enough to get the chance, that they hang in there. So many of them make decisions b/c it seems too hard at the time, or little Susie might not wait for them to return etc... I will admit, though, if you have the slightest thought that you don't enjoy the game and preparation 100%, then college athletics may not be for you. It's not easy. If it was, the schools wouldn't need scholarships.
It's not only the kids though. It's the adults/parents too. I encourage any of you to drive to Charleston and watch UC or WV State play one Sat. afternoon. You'll be AMAZED at the talent on that field. I coached at that level for several years and I wish I had a penny for every friend or family member that came to a game and were absolutely astonished at the level of play on that field. They couldn't believe it. Most of the kids playing were like the Beeler kid.They had DI skills but maybe were an inch too short or a tenth of a second too slow etc... Some are from JUCO's in CA or MS. they may not have had the grades and had to go to a JUCO for 2 years , whatever. It's good football folks, and it ain't somethin every kid can do.

[MTSWNGRVSG]

Great Post!

As one person put it, "In high school you may get hit real hard once every 2 or 3 games, in college that is every play"

[GreasyRidgeGuru]

^^^^^^^^^^^COme again????^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

[chieftainpride06]

take your hardest hit in high school times it by ten and thats every hit in college.

[The Riepo Man]

Everyone gets stronger throughout their college career....those hits may be 10times as big to the high schooler but not to these lean college guys. Even some kickers can lay the boom in college.

[oldcoachb]

take your hardest hit in high school times it by ten and thats every hit in college.

One of my best friends son is a running back at N.C. State. He finally called home after three days of practice and said,"dad, there are grown men on the other side of the ball".

[localfan000]

Marietta has 2 current D-1 players and 1 played D-1 for a year

Current

Justin Estes (K) -Southern Mississippi

Robbie Spencer (WR/CB) -Ohio University


2006 year

Matt Zakowski (LB) -Ohio University

[vikings52]

[quote="lil vike supporter"]2010
Dylan Guthrie, VC
Andy Grillo, VC

2011
Adam Ward, VC

2012
Luke Thompson, VC
also maybe
Joey Batey, VC
Curtis Lindner, VC


you have good opinions, but they will have to work hard to get a scholorship. The off season is the key. Dylan is a good guy to look at for college d1. he is 6'5 265 lbs.
andy has had mail from very good schools. Adam will learn over time. hes tall and a good qb
luke is a frshman on defense with second leading tackles and is 5'11 190

[THE G.O.A.T.]

Trevon Pendleton- Portsmouth West. I think hands down the best player in Southern Ohio. People are going to hear big things about him in the future.

[Trivium5]

Trevon Pendleton- Portsmouth West. I think hands down the best player in Southern Ohio. People are going to hear big things about him in the future.

So your saying that "hands down" hes is the best player in Southern Ohio?
Are you forgetting about Mr. Roback from Waverly?
The kids been to many elite camps, and if I'm not wrong, he was in the Top 150 athletes to look forwards to in the class of 2010, hes also received many letters from the top schools in the nation. He's already been offered a scholarship from Ohio University. You also hear about Derek alot and WILL hear from him in the future. This kid has major potential. So think twice before saying hes the best hands down. Roback is one heck of an athlete.