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. 53, Hamilton

Qualification

Four players from Hamilton have been listed on 15 Ohio State rosters. The first Big Blue player to make an Ohio State roster after 1969 was OT Mike Dully. He was a fifth year senior in 1994 and spent the majority of his career as a backup lineman. Entering the '94 season, Dully saw action in 27 games. At Hamilton, he earned a total of nine varsity letters in football, basketball, baseball and track. He was a captain of the football team and played on both sides of the line.

OG Mike Gurr (1996-2000) earned four varsity letters and was named to the Academic All-Big Ten team four times during his five years in Columbus. He was the starting guard for the 2000 season. Gurr was a tight end at Hamilton and caught 29 passes during his final two seasons.

The Underwood brothers, EJ (2002-04) and Brandon (2004-05), played in Ohio State's secondary. Jim Tressel called EJ one of the most talented cornerbacks he had ever coached. After his junior season, EJ transferred to Pikeville of the NAIA. He was signed by the Giants as an undrafted free agent in 2007. At Hamilton, EJ was an All-Ohioan and had 11 career interceptions.

Brandon Underwood (2004-05) took a redshirt in 2004 and had a season ending injury against Miami, OH in the first game of 2005. He finished his Ohio State career with the three tackles he had against Miami. Brandon transferred to Cincinnati where he became a All-Big East player. In 2009, the Packers selected him in the sixth round of the 2009 NFL Draft.  

Back To School

Hamilton is located in Butler County and is a member of the Greater Western Ohio Conference. The team currently competes in Division I, Region 4. The Big Blue went 1–9 in 2018. The program has not had a winning season since 2010 and was winless in 2014. The Big Blue had a 19-game losing streak between 2013 and 2014. The last time Hamilton made the playoffs was 2010 when they were defeated by host Colerain, 42-14, in the first round.

Notable

Hamilton has four state titles in boys' basketball. Three of the titles (1949, 1954 and 1962) came when the school was known as Hamilton Taft. The 2004 title was after the consolidation with Garfiled in 1980.  

Famous Alumni

Famous names you may know: NFL players Paul Sarringhaus (former Buckeye, 1940s) and Denicos Allen, MLB players Aaron Cook, Mark Lewis, Joe Nuxhall, and Ricky Stone, NBA player Kevin Grevey and comedian and Family Feud host Ray Combs. 

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. 

2,782 days since Ohio State has not defeated That Team.
144 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.