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. 38, Solon

Qualification

Four players from Solon have been listed on 20 Ohio State rosters. James (Jim) Savoca was the first Comet to make a Buckeye roster. He started his career as a linebacker, but was switched to offensive guard during the 1975 season. He missed the '77 season due to back surgery, but was able to secure the starting right guard position in 1978. Savoca played in 185.5 minutes over his 12 game senior season.

TE Gary Lickovitch (1986-90) as reserve tight end, he caught 9 passes for 99 yards during his senior season with the Buckeyes. Those were his only receptions for his Ohio State career. Injuries hampered most of his career, but he was considered a valuable member of the special teams. During Lickovitch's high school playing days, he caught 45 passes for 800 yards and 11 touchdowns.

WR Drew Carter (1999-03) was known for his great hands and exceptional speed (4.3 yard 40). Carter was also known to go up and get the ball. Injuries early in his Buckeye career slowed his development. He was healthy for the entire 2002 season and hauled in 10 catches for 147 yards during the championship season. In his final campaign with the team, 2003, Carter caught 25 passes for 410 yards and a touchdown. He was also on Ohio State's track team and finished second in the long jump in 2003.

At Solon, Carter did not play football until his senior year. In his first game, he caught three touchdowns. He went on to catch 33 passes for 890 yards and 13 touchdowns in his lone year of playing high school football. He also earned varsity letters in basketball and track.

DL/OL Darryl Baldwin (2010-14) was a defensive lineman during his first two years with the Buckeyes. He was switched to the offensive line in 2012 and saw an immediate increase in playing time. In 2014, Baldwin was the starting right tackle for every game of the national champion squad. 

Baldwin was the Northeast Ohio Conference Player of the Year and an All-Ohioan as a senior at Solon. He had 25 tackles for loss and 9 sacks that season in which his team went 12–1 and made it the regional finals. Baldwin was also the Cleveland Plain Dealer's Defensive Player of the Year and played in the Ohio All-Star Classic.

Back To School

Solon is located in Cuyahoga County and is now a member of the Greater Cleveland Conference. The team competes in Division I, Region 1. The Comets went 8–2 in the regular season last year and made the playoffs. Solon hosted Canton McKinley, but lost by a score of 28-15. Since 2013, the football program has made the playoffs in five of the six seasons.

Notable

Solon has four state championships, two in girls' track (2014, 2013) and one each in boys' cross country (2016) and wrestling (1990).

The Academic Challenge team won the Ohio Academic Competition state championship in 2010. The Science Olympiad team has won the national championship four times. The first was in 1998 then the team went on a winning streak in 2011, 2012 and 2013. 

Famous Alumni

Famous names you may know: NFL players Kim Herring, Jim Mandich, Dave Meggyesy, MLB player Chris Bando, NBA player Mark Minor, Ohio State basketball player Dallas Lauderdale, rapper Kid Cudi, baseball columnist Jeff Passan, comic book writer and former editor of Marvel Comics Marc Sumerak and Lynyrd Skynyrd drummer Michael Cartellone. 

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. 

2,796 days since Ohio State has not defeated That Team.
130 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.