Recruiting is said to be the lifeblood of college football. This series will countdown the top 100 high schools in Ohio that have provided the Buckeyes with football players. The rankings are based on how many times a player from each high school has been listed on Ohio State's roster between 1970 and 2018.
No. 70, South
Qualification
Five players from South have been listed on 13 Ohio State rosters. The first, in our time frame, was Howard Thornton. As a freshman, he was listed as a linebacker, but was moved to offensive line as a sophomore. Thornton was only listed on the roster for the 1973 and 1974 seasons.
The second Bulldog, Barry Johnson was on one Ohio State roster (1975), but was not listed before, or after, after his junior season.
Tony Cupe (1986-88) started his career in Columbus as a wide receiver, but was switched to cornerback after the 1987 season. He had 4.5 speed and started three games as a flanker during his redshirt freshman year. Cupe caught eight passes for 95 yards in 1987. He was not on an Ohio State roster after the 1988 season.
Despite only playing two years of high school football, Cupe earned All-Ohio honors. He also led South to the finals in basketball as a guard.
Preston Harrison (1990-1994) was considered one of the best athletes on the '94 squad. His athleticism was put to the test during his time with the Buckeyes as the staff had him listed at quarterback, linebacker, defensive end then back to linebacker during his five years in Columbus. Although his career was limited due to chronic pelvic inflammation that kept him sidelined, Harrison was selected by the Chargers in the third round of the 1995 NFL Draft.
At south, Harrison was considered one of the nation's best prospects at quarterback. When he arrived on campus, he was moved to the defensive side of the ball after his freshman year.
Carlos Geoff was the last South player to make an Ohio State roster. The linebacker was on the roster team for his junior and senior seasons in '91 and '92.
Back To School
South is located in Franklin County and is a member of the Columbus City League. The team currently competes in Division III, Region 11. The Bulldogs went 6-4 in 2018. The last time South defeated Marion Franklin, its rival, was 2002. The football won a state title in 1916.
Notable
South has five state championships. The titles are in girls' basketball (1986), boys' basketball (1965), baseball (1932), diving (1927) and football (1916).
Famous Alumni
Famous names you may know: NFL players Greg Bell and Stacey Hairston, MLB player Frank Howard, Columbus Mayor Tom Moody, reporters Dwight Lauderdale and Angela Pace.
Explanation of the Rankings
School "A" had 14 players appear 16 times on Ohio State's roster. School "B" had 11 players appear 20 times on Ohio State's roster. School "B" will have the higher ranking. Why? Even though school "B" has less players, those players played for more years.
If two or more schools have the same number of appearances, the tie will be broken by the school with the highest average of roster appearances per player. If there is a tie in the average, the tie breaker will be the school with the most prominent Ohio State player.
| 100 | 99 | 98 | 97 | 96 | 95 | 94 | 93 | 92 | 91 |
| 90 | 89 | 88 | 87 | 86 | 85 | 84 | 83 | 82 | 81 |
| 80 | 79 | 78 | 77 | 76 | 75 | 74 | 73 | 72 | 71 |
| 70 | 69 | 68 | 67 | 66 | 65 | 64 | 63 | 62 | 61 |
| 60 | 59 | 58 | 57 | 56 | 55 | 54 | 53 | 52 | 51 |
| 50 | 49 | 48 | 47 | 46 | 45 | 44 | 43 | 42 | 41 |
| 40 | 39 | 38 | 37 | 36 | 35 | 34 | 33 | 32 | 31 |
| 30 | 29 | 28 | 27 | 26 | 25 | 24 | 23 | 22 | 21 |
| 20 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 11 |
| 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
2,765 days since Ohio State has not defeated That Team.
161 days until The Game.
Are you a former player, graduate, live near or have something to add about today's featured high school? Please share your story with us in the comments. What makes the 11W community unique is the amount of great information everybody is willing to share.
