Ethan Tucky is not your normal 16-year-old and he knows it.
"Genetics have been very kind to me," Tucky said laughing, discussing his 6-foot-3, 220 pound frame. "I'm supposed to get to 6-foot-4, but I am 16 so I am getting old."
Aside from the frame of a grown man, apparently Tucky, one of Ohio's top 2016 football prospects, also has a sense of humor. This week he took his second visit to Columbus to check out his childhood favorite Buckeyes. He last visited in October when Ohio State hosted Penn State, and he says seeing them out of the bright lights helped him see the football program into a new perspective.
"It was crazy," he said of the visit. "It was my first time seeing them practice and I loved it. The coaches really bring a lot of energy."
"We got to the school around 2:30 p.m and I was able to go to the linebacker meetings was sweet. After the meeting I watched the practice and then we took a tour of the facilities and I talked to the coaching staff," he said of his visit. "I just loved the energy the coaches have. (The practice) was full contact and it was really intense. I talked with Coach Fickell, Coach Meyer and Greg Gillum, all about different things. With Coach Fickell we talked about the roles of a linebacker and Gillum showed me around and talked to me about how they see me in terms of recruiting."
How the Buckeyes see Tucky, who played mostly with his hand on the ground during his sophomore year at Hayes, is as an outside linebacker. That is perfectly ok with the soon-to-be junior.
"I played a lot of defensive end last year," he said of playing linebacker. "Ohio State wants me to come to a camp just so they can see how I move from a standing up spot. I'm more than willing to do that. I need to work on my pass coverage and agility and I need more time working at linebacker."
Although he's only holding one offer right now (Eastern Michigan) Tucky is expecting a full summer. He's going to be a national prospect, and the Buckeyes are one school that have expressed interest in a possible offer. With his frame and speed combination — he's run a 4.56 40-yard-dash and finished 9th in the state in the 60-meter-dash — it's easy to understand why.
"Coach Meyer wants me to come back with my parents," he said. "He wants to meet them and he said Ohio State is very interested in offering me."
That return trip could happen soon.
"I am hoping that we can go back next week," he said of a possible return to campus with his parents. "I don't think I can attend the spring game because I have a track meet that same day so I'll pick a date to get back there soon."
Acknowledging that he is a born and raised Buckeye fan, Tucky might be the type of player you'd expect an early commitment from if he were to receive a Buckeye offer. He doesn't flat out deny that, but he does realize this decision is a big one and there's no rush to make a choice.
"I'd look around, I think, just to be sure," Tucky said of how a Buckeye offer could impact his recruitment. "It's a very important decision so I wouldn't want to rush it. I am trying to not show too much favoritism towards any one school because I want to keep an open mind when comparing the schools against one another."
