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. 27, Youngstown Boardman
Qualification
6 players from Boardman have been listed on 23 Ohio State rosters.
OT Jay Shaffer (1983-87) after his first two seasons, he had 1 minute of playing time. Shaffer then started 6 games during his junior season after Larry Kotterman had a knee injury. He started one game as a senior and played in 23 games with the Buckeyes. Earned 9 varsity letters at Boardman.
OL Corey Linsley (2009-13) switched from offensive guard/tackle to center in 2012. Started 26 straight games over his last two seasons and played in 42 games during his Buckeye career. Linsley was a captain and earned All-Big Ten his senior season. The Packers selected him in the 5th round of the 2014 NFL Draft.
At Boardman, Linsley was captain and named to the All-Federal League and All-Northeast Ohio teams. Won a regional title and earned a medal at the state track meet.
| No. | POS | PLAYER | YEARS | OHIO STATE CAREER | HS CAREER |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 69 | OT | JAY SHAFFER | 1983-87 | See above. | See above. |
| 33 | FB | STEVE GRESOCK | 1986-87 | Did not play during his senior campaign, but did have 5 carries for 14 yards in five games as a junior. | A teacher strike during his senior year cut his final year of high school football short. Upset, Gresock dropped out of school. He later earned a high school certificate. |
| 73 | OG | JEFF KUCZEK | 1986-87 | Arrived to Ohio State in 1986 and switched to guard in 1987. Never saw the field in Columbus. | All-Ohio tackle whose top play was a blocked punt that he returned for a touchdown. |
| 39 | DB | MICHAEL DOUGHERTY | 2005-07 | Played in 1 game over 3 seasons. | No information given. |
| 71 | OL | COREY LINSLEY | 2009-13 | See above. | See above. |
| 50 | DT/TE | JT MOORE | 2010-14 | Heading into 2014, Moore had played in 31 games and all 14 in 2013. | All-Ohioan, All-Northeast Ohio and All-Federal League after recording 110 tackles and 7 sacks. |
Back To School
Boardman is located in Mahoning County and competes in the All-American Conference. The team competes in Division II, Region 5. The Spartans went 6–4 in the regular season last year and made the playoffs. They traveled to Maple Heights and lost, 42-12.
Notable
Boardman has two state titles. The girls' bowling team won a championship in 2010 and the girls' softball team won a title in 2001.
The marching band has performed at the Rose Bowl and Indy 500 and usually takes one or two trips a year. Boardman has a broadcast program called BSTN Productions. The program started in 1992 and offers four different courses: Advanced Digital Video Productions, Broadcast Journalism, Digital Video Productions and Film Studies.
Famous Alumni
Famous names you may know: NFL players Bernie Kosar, John Greco and Steve Vallos, MLB player Dave Dravecky, Ohio State basketball player Terence Dials, Academy Award winning actress Elizabeth Hartman, singer and Broadway actress Maureen McGovern, musician Phil Keaggy, fashion designer Nanette Lepore and former Maryland football coach DJ Durkin.
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.
2,807 days since Ohio State has not defeated That Team.
119 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.
