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. 49, Stow Walsh Jesuit
Qualification
Five players from Walsh Jesuit have been listed on 16 Ohio State rosters. The first, and best Warrior to play for the Buckeyes was defensive end Mike Vrabel (1993-96). He finished his collegiate career as a two-time All-American, three-time All-Big Ten honoree and was the Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year in 1995 and 1996.
Vrabel is Ohio State's all-time leader in career sacks (36), tackles for loss (66), quarterback sack yards (245) and tackles for loss yards (349). He also holds the season record for tackles for loss (26) and tackles for loss yards (133). Vrabel was named to the Ohio State All-Century team in 2000 and was inducted into the Ohio State Athletics Hall of Fame in 2012.
The Steelers selected Vrabel in the third round of the 1997 NFL Draft. He was in Pittsburgh for four years, New England for eight seasons and the Chiefs for two years. Vrabel won three Super Bowls with the Patriots (XXXVI, XXXVIII and XXXIX) and became the first defensive player to score a Super Bowl receiving touchdown on offense. He finished his NFL career with 10 receptions with all of them for touchdowns.
Following his NFL playing days, Vrabel came back to Columbus and joined Luke Fickell's staff as linebackers coach in 2011. He stayed with the program when Urban Meyer was hired in 2012 and was the team's defensive line coach through the 2013 season. The Texans hired him away from the Buckeyes and he spent four seasons in Houston as the linebackers coach and defensive coordinator. In 2018, Vrabel was named the head coach of the Tennessee Titans.
WR Darik Warnke (1996-99) was a reserve reception-type receiver who was known for his hard-nosed blocking. At Walsh Jesuit, he was an All-Ohioan as a senior. During his junior season, Warnke set the school single-season record with 53 receptions. He finished his high school career with 116 catches for 1,775 yards and 21 touchdowns.
LB Pat O'Neill (1999-02) was a special teams player and backup at SAM linebacker. He was a highly recruited linebacker in high school, but Ohio State's depth at the position in the early 2000s kept him from the field. In high school, O'Neill was the Division III Defensive Player of the Year and led the Warriors to a state runner-up as a senior.
OL Jack Wohlabaugh (2016-17) was a redshirt in 2016 and did not play in 2017. He transferred to Duke in January of 2018 and had to sit out last season due to transfer rules.
DL Noah Donald (2017-18) will be a senior in 2019. Last year, he played against Oregon State and TCU for a total of five snaps. Donald is not projected to be a starter or backup this year.
Back To School
Walsh Jesuit is located in Summit County and is a member of the Ohio Valley Athletic Conference. The team completes in Division II, Region 5. The Warriors finished 0–10 in 2018 and currently have a 16-game losing streak. The last time Walsh Jesuit had a winning record was 2014 and that was the last season the program made the playoffs. Host Midview defeated the Warriors 42-28 in the first round.
In 1999, Walsh Jesuit lost its season opener, then won 13 straight games to claim the school's first and only state football championship.
Notable
Walsh Jesuit has won 39 state titles in 10 different sports. The girls soccer team leads the way with 10 titles (2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2010, 2006, 2004, 2001, 2000), boys' wrestling has eight championships (2000, 1999, 1997, 1996, 1995, 1994, 1993, 1991), boys' baseball (2008, 2006, 2004, 1999) and boys' golf (1997, 1996, 1991, 1990) each have four titles, girls' softball (2016, 2004, 2002) and girls golf (2007, 2004, 2001) have three, boys' cross country (2002, 1984) has won two titles and girls' basketball (2005) and football (1999) each have one title.
Famous Alumni
Famous names you may know: NFL players Connor Cook and Steve Fitzhugh, PGA golfer and Buckeye Ryan Armour, bobsled Olympian Brock Kreitzburg, and MLS player Michael Nanchoff.
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 |
2,786 days since Ohio State has not defeated That Team.
140 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.
