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. 14, Huber Heights Wayne
Qualification
9 players from Wayne have been listed on 35* Ohio State rosters.
DB Will Allen (2000-03) helped Ohio State win the Big Ten and National Championship in 2002. He had the game-clinching interception at the 2-yard line against That Team in 2002 to insure the Buckeyes' undefeated season and ticket to Arizona. Allen also had five tackles and a fourth-quarter fumble recovery against Miami. His hit on Willis McGahee caused significant damage to the Hurricanes' knee.
Allen was an All-American and All-Big Ten player in 2003. The Buccaneers selected him in the 4th round of the 2004 NFL Draft. At Wayne, he was an All-Ohioan and was ranked as the Midwest's No. 4 defensive back. Allen also helped lead the team to a runner-up state championship finish.
LB Marcus Freeman (2005-08) three-year starter at linebacker who recorded 264 tackles, 21.5 TFL and 6.0 sacks during his Ohio State career. Also had 2 interceptions and played in 52 games. Freeman was a three-time Academic All-Big Ten (2006, 2007, 2008) player. He was selected in the 5th round NFL Draft pick to the Bears in 2009.
As a Warrior, Freeman was rated as a Top 3 overall prospect in the state of Ohio, was a Parade All-American and was a two-time All-Ohioan. Today, he is the defensive coordinator and coach of the linebackers for Cincinnati.
QB Braxton Miller (2011-15) guided the Buckeyes to an undefeated season in 2012 and was on the 2014 national championship team. Won two B1G Leaders titles, two Big Ten East titles and one Big Ten title. Had a 24 game-winning streak between 2012 and 2013 and Ohio State was 4–1 in The Game with him on the roster. He finished his career first in Ohio State history with the most 200-yards of total offense games (22) and 300-yards of total offense games (10).
Miller took home a couple of awards during his time in Columbus. In 2011, he was the National Freshman of the Year and won the Big Ten's Thompson-Randle El Freshman of the Year. In 2012, he was an All-Big Ten player and was named the Big Ten's Griese-Brees Quarterback of the Year and Graham-George Offensive Player of the Year. He also won the Quarterback and Offensive Player of the Year Awards in 2013. Last, and certainly not least, Miller was the Chicago Tribune's Big Ten MVP (Silver Football Award) in 2012 and 2013.
The Texans selected Miller in the 3rd round of the 2016 NFL Draft. At Wayne, Miller was an All-Ohioan who passed for 2,167 yards, 17 TDs, rushed for 658 yards and 17 TDs and took his team to the state championship game.
| No. | POS | PLAYER | YEARS | OHIO STATE CAREER | HS CAREER |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 42 | LB | ARNIE JONES | 1972-74 | Captain in 1974 and was second on the team with 100 tackles and led the team with 8 TFL as a senior. | Captain of the football, wrestling and track teams. |
| 98 | DE | PAUL JONES | 1974-76 | Younger brother of Arnie, missed the 1974 season due to an injury, and never saw the field in 3 seasons. | Played TE, FB, CB and LB, was 74-15 as a wrestler. |
| 26, 4 | DB | WILL ALLEN | 2000-03 | See above. | See above. |
| 84 | WR | JOHN HOLLINS | 2000-04 | Played in 17 games and had 1 catch for 14 yards, missed the 2001 season due to a knee injury. | All-Ohioan with 61 receptions for 1,220 yards and 17 TDs on a state runner-up team as a senior. |
| 1 | LB | MARCUS FREEMAN | 2005-08 | See above. | See above. |
| 30 | DB | DONNIE EVEGE | 2007-11 | 2009 Academic All-Big Ten. Mainly played on special teams and as a scout team player. | Was the 7th best prospect in Ohio, ran a 4.31 40-yard dash, had 42 tackles and ran for 527 yards and 9 TDs as a senior. |
| 5, 1 | QB/WR | BRAXTON MILLER | 2011-15 | See above. | See above. |
| 57, 67 | DT | ROBERT LANDERS | 2015-19 | Has played in 39 games and has recorded 51 tackles and 18 TFL, led defensive linemen in TFL per play in 2016. | 2nd Team All-Ohioan, All-Area Defensive Player of the Year, ranked as the No. 6 lineman in the Midwest, won the state championship in the shot put as a junior. |
| 85 | WR | L'CHRISTIAN "BLUE" SMITH | 2018 | Played in 3 games for a total of 5 offensive snaps in his only season. Announced his transfer to Cincinnati in May. | No. 39 overall player of the 2018 class according to Rivals. All-Ohioan as a senior and was also recruited heavily as a basketball player. |
*Wayne will have players on 36 Ohio State rosters after Landers finishes the 2019 season.
Back To School
Wayne is located in Montgomery County and is currently in the Greater Western Ohio Conference. The team competes in Division I, Region 3. The Warriors went 7–3 in the regular season last year. They made the playoffs, but lost to host Hilliard Davidson, 28-21, in the first round.
The football program was state runner-up in 2015, 2014 and 2010. St. Edward defeated the Warriors in the three championship games. Wayne has made the playoffs every year since 2012.
Notable
Wayne has won 4 state titles.
Track has two (2000, 1995), boys' bowling (2016) and boys' basketball (2015) have one.
Famous Alumni
Famous names you may know: NFL players Victor Heflin, Vince Heflin, Mike Mickens, Greg Orton, Larry Turner and Jerel Worthy, Michigan State basketball player Travis Trice, Playboy Playmate of the Month Tina Bockrath and musicians Kelley Deal and Kim Deal (The Breeders).
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.
2,821 days since Ohio State has not defeated That Team.
105 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.
If you like Ohio high school football, or want to read about the best teams of the '50s and '60s, you should check out Tim Raab's book: Powerhouses of Ohio High School Football.
