The future stars of Ohio State football officially begin their Buckeye careers today as standouts from all over the country put pens to their National Letters of Intent. Signing Day is here.
Eleven Warriors would like to officially welcome Liam McCullough to the Ohio State football program.
The McCullough File
- Class 2015
- Position LS
- Size 6-2/213
- School Kilbourne (Worthington, OH)
- Composite ★★
- Rank 3 (Long-Snapper)
Rarely does a long-snapper draw recruiting attention — let alone scholarship offers — from major college football programs before the start of their junior season, but Liam McCullough isn't your average long-snapper. The Worthington Kilbourne product was so impressive at football camps in East Lansing and Madison during the summer of 2013 that Michigan State and Wisconsin both offered almost immediately. The new age of football, one where a single special teams error can cost you a chance at a national championship run, requires specialists who are above and beyond, means guys with McCullough's skill-set are no longer an afterthought in recruiting.
As Ohio State wrapped up last year's signing day, they were busy preparing for the 2015 class and it was only a week later they offered the home-town specialist.
The offer was not expected by McCullough, who did his best to not make an emotional decision immediately. The Buckeyes had talked to him in the past about how he could find his way into the Scarlet and Gray, but this was different.
"It was a bit of surprise," McCullough told 11W. "They had offered me as a preferred walk-on over the summer after camp, but I was very excited and surprised to pick up an offer today."
As the owner of a Buckeye offer, and being from Columbus, McCullough's decision was going to be an easy one, or should have been, but he wanted to be sure. Days after the Ohio State offer, Kentucky offered as well. The 6-foot-2, 215-pounder took multiple trips to Ohio State, Michigan State and visited Kentucky before deciding that he'd seen enough. On June 10th, the day of a one-day kicking/specialists camp at Ohio State, McCullough became the sixth member of the Buckeyes 2015 recruiting class.
The decision to commit came on the heels of a visit to Ohio State and the aforementioned camp, and it was greeted with a hug from his future coach.
"As soon as I told coach Meyer (I was committing) he gave me a hug and went from recruiting mode to coaching mode," McCullough told 11W in June. "He and I are already meeting tomorrow during the last day of camp to get after it."
Getting after it is the name of the game, and McCullough was honored as one of the country's best players when he was nominated and participated in the US Army All-American bowl.
I am incredibly proud and blessed to be able to announce that I have been selected to the @armyallamericanbowl !!! pic.twitter.com/Zw2mbsEERg
— Liam McCullough (@LiamMcCullough2) July 19, 2014
McCullough's senior season at Kilbourne ended in the second round of Ohio's high school playoffs in a loss to cross-town rival Scioto (Dublin, but his career is just getting started.
