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. 69, Northmont

Qualification

Five players from Northmont have been listed on 13 Ohio State rosters. Larry Kain was the first Bolt to play for the Buckeyes. His career in Columbus was filled with injuries as he bounced from playing defensive back, defensive end and then finally tight end. Kain was considered one of the strongest players on the team and the Steelers selected him in the 13th round of the 1976 NFL Draft.

The next Northmont players on the roster were LB/DT Jeff Weiland (1974-75) and LB/LS Matt Drummelsmith (2004-06).

Safety Kurt Coleman (2006-09) is the best Buckeye to play for Northmont. He was a leader on the field and in the weight room for his Ohio State teams. In 2009, Coleman was MVP of the team, a captain and earned All-American and All-Big Ten honors. 

At one point, those honors could have been shelved. Coleman seriously thought about walking away from the game after his tackle caused the paralysis of Tyson Gentry. Coleman spoke to Gentry in the hospital and when his injured teammate forgave him, Coleman was back on the team.

Ohio State benefited from having Coleman come back as the Buckeyes won four Big Ten titles and went 4-0 with number four on the squad. The Eagles selected him in the 7th round of the 2010 NFL Draft. Today, Coleman plays for the New Orleans Buckeyes Saints.

At Northmont, Coleman was named first team All-Ohio twice and to the All-Midwest Team.

The last Thunderbolt to play at Ohio State was C.J. Barnett. Like Coleman, Barnett played strong safety for the Buckeyes and he also wore No. 4. Barnett was in Columbus for five seasons (2009-13) and played in 44 games. He tallied 224 tackles and intercepted four passes at Ohio State. Barnett was a captain of the '13 squad and was named to the Academic All-Big Ten team twice.

Barnett was an Under Armour All-American and two-time captain at Northmont. 

Back To School

Northmont is located in Montgomery County and is a member of the Greater Western Ohio Conference. The team currently competes in Division I, Region 3. The Thunderbolts went 10-1 during the regular season in 2018 and qualified for the playoffs. Northmont defeated Hilliard Darby, 42-20, in round one, but lost to Pickerington Central, 33-7, the next week.

Notable

Northmont has eight state championships in three sports. Girls' soccer has the most with four (1989, 1988, 1987, 1985), and boys' cross country (1996, 1995) and boys' soccer (1988, 1978) each have two.

The quiz bowl team has the second most quiz bowl state championships in Ohio history. The team won the NAQT state championship in 2014, 2013 and 2010 and the OAC state championship in 2014 and 2013.

Famous Alumni

Famous names you may know: NFL player Zebrie Sanders, pro wrestler Chris Hero, ESPN anchor John Seibel and Andy Trick of the band The Devil Wears Prada. 

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. 

2,766 days since Ohio State has not defeated That Team.
160 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.