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. 36, Youngstown Ursuline

Qualification

Seven players from Ursuline have been listed on 21 Ohio State rosters. Defensive end Louis Williott was the first Fighting Irish player to make a Buckeye roster. He was switched to fullback for his senior season and had 18 carries for 81 yards and a touchdown.

C Doug Porter (1974-77) was an All-Ohio center at Ursuline and was Lineman of the Year for the Youngstown area. He was a career back-up center, but played in 46 games during his career thanks to his long snapping ability.

DB Bryan Cook (1988-92) started two games as a redshirt freshman in 1989 and three games in 1990. He became the Buckeye's starting cornberback in 1991 and 1992. However, he missed the last three games of the '91 season due major surgery on his left knee. The injury did not hamper him for his senior year as he started every game and was second on the team with 70 tackles. He also recovered a fumble for a touchdown. Cook only played two years of high school football.

LB/DL Jim Bell (1992-96) played multiple defensive positions as a reserve player throughout his Ohio State career. After his first four seasons in Columbus, Bell only had 16 minutes of playing time and recorded zero tackles. He had 40 minutes of playing time and tallied 7 tackles and a TFL during his senior season. 

Expectations were high for Bell as he was a highly regarded recruit. However, he injured his knee during his senior year of basketball and needed surgery in the summer of 1992. His Buckeye career never got on track because of it.

RB Sean Penny (1997-98) rushed for 2,050 yards and 20 touchdowns during his senior season at Ursuline. Was an All-Ohioan and was also named the Division IV Offensive Player of the Year. As a freshman at Ohio State, Penny played in 10 games and rushed for 54 yards as Matt Keller's backup. His career in Columbus ended as a sophomore when he suffered a "stable fracture of the back part of the first cervical vertebrae," against Toledo in the second game of the season. 

FB CJ Moore (1999) was a walk-on in 1998 and made the Buckeye roster in 1999. Moore was a captain at Ursuline and was named to the All-Northeast Ohio team as a senior.

TE Louis Irizarry (2003) was a highly recruited tight end out of high school. His Ohio State came to an end shortly after it began. In October of 2003, Irizarry was accused of punching and injuring two people in a dormitory. He plead guilty, spent three days in jail and was suspended from the team for the remainder of his freshman season. 

In the spring of 2004, Irizarry was back on the team and working his way into the starting lineup. However, days after the spring game, he and RB Ira Guilford robbed and beat up an Ohio State student walking home at 3 a.m. Irizarry served just short of six months at the Correctional Reception Center in Orient. He tried to rejoin the Buckeyes, but Jim Tressel told him no.

Being denied a return to Columbus, Irizarry finished his college career at Youngstown State and opened the 2007 season in Ohio Stadium...against the Buckeyes. He caught four passes for 19 yards that Saturday afternoon. As a Penguin, he played in 21 games, hauled in 42 passes for 437 yards and 3 touchdowns. The Bengals invited him to minicamp, but he was not signed.

Back To School

Ursuline is located in Mahoning County and is a member of the Steel Valley Conference. The team competes in Division IV, Region 13. The Fighting Irish went 1–9 last year. The last time they made the playoffs was 2015, the team traveled to Notre-Dame Cathedral Latin and won 13-3. Ursuline then defeated Woodridge and Crestwood before losing to Steubenville, 28-0, in the state semifinals. 

The football program has four state titles. The Fighting Irish won the championship in 2010, 2009, 2008 and 2000.

Notable

Ursuline has a total of 10 state championships. The football team has the most with four (listed above). Baseball (2000, 1988) and boys' golf (1976, 1975) have two titles and girls' basketball (2004) and boys' basketball (1994) each have one.

Famous Alumni

Famous names you may know: NFL player Paul Maguire, actor Pat Bilon (E.T.), comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, voice actor Jim Cummings (Darkwing Duck) and actor Ed O'Neill (Al Bundy). 

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. 

2,798 days since Ohio State has not defeated That Team.
128 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.