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. 1, Glenville
Qualification
21 players from Glenville have been listed on 71 Ohio State rosters. The first Tarblooder to sign with the Buckeyes was Troy Smith. Not a bad way to start a legacy. Once the Glenville pipeline was opened, the players came flooding to Columbus. The school had players sign with Ohio State for 13-straight seasons. Amazing that Glenville has had the most players appear on Buckeye rosters between 1970 and today considering that the first Tarblooder to make an Ohio State roster wasn't until 2002.
QB Troy Smith (2002-06) ended his Ohio State career as the program's seventh Heisman Trophy winner. He also collected some other hardware during his time in Columbus. As a captain of the 2006 team, Smith was the team MVP, won the Walter Camp Award, Davey O'Brien Award, was named the Sporting News Player of the Year, AP Player of the Year, was also an All-American and All-Big Ten player. Something you may not know is that Smith was on the 2003 Academic All-Big Ten team.
With Smith as quarterback, the Buckeyes won the Big Ten in 2005 and 2006, defeated No. 5 Notre Dame in the 2006 Fiesta Bowl and beat No. 2 Texas in Austin. He combined his strong, accurate arm with great decision making and a running ability that kept defenses off balance. The combination led to Smith finishing his career with a 25–3 record as Ohio State's starting quarterback. As a starter, he was undefeated in The Game...winning in 2004, 2005 and 2006.
For his accomplishments, Smith was inducted into the Ohio State Athletics Hall of Fame in 2014 and his number was honored that same year. The Ravens selected him in the fifth round of the 2007 NFL Draft.
St. Edward is where Smith began his high school career. He played for the Eagles as a sophomore and junior before transferring to Glenville as a senior. As a Tarblooder, Smith threw for 969 yards and 12 touchdowns and ran for 329 yards and 4 touchdowns.
S Donte Whitner (2003-05) played three seasons with the Buckeyes, but his hard-hitting style left a permanent impact. He was an All-American and All-Big Ten player during his final season with the team. With Whitner on the team, Ohio State won three bowl games and also won the Big Ten title in 2005. He was known as a hard-hitter and a playmaker and finished his final season with 73 tackles and 2 interceptions and helped the Buckeye defense finish ranked 5th in the nation. The Bills selected Whitner with the 8th pick of the 2006 NFL Draft.
SuperPrep regarded Whitner as the No. 1 overall prospect in the Midwest and Rivals had him ranked as the third best cornerback in the country. He played in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl after recording 60 tackles, 10 tackles-for-loss, 4 forced fumbles, 3 interceptions and 9 receiving touchdowns as a senior. Whitner was always a hard-hitter, even off of the field. When he was six, he was struck by a car as he was chasing a football down the street. The young Whitner had 30 fractures in his legs, but the car also suffered "significant" damage. Six-year old Whitner 1, car 0.
WR Ted Ginn Jr. (2004-06) was an electric wide receiver and return specialist. In his senior year in high school Ginn was named USA Today's and SuperPrep Nationals Defensive Player of the year. Many thought Ginn was going to be a stud at cornerback. However, he made his mark on offense and special teams.
Ginn holds the following return records for Ohio State: 4 punt return touchdowns for a season (2004), 6 punt return touchdowns for a career, highest punt return yards per attempt in a season (25.6, 2004) and most kickoff returns for a career.
Ginn's speed and and receiving skills put many of Ohio State's opponents in a bind. The Buckeyes liked to come out in the "Ted Ginn formation" where he would line up as the lone receiver to the wide side of the field. This would either give Ginn single coverage or require the defense to shade another defensive player to his side. This would give Smith the option of throwing to Ginn in single coverage, find the other open receiver, or audible to a run. Either way, Ginn's presence on the field made Ohio State's offense a defenses' nightmare.
In my unpaid opinion, Ted Ginn, Jr. is the only Ohio State player faster than Joey Galloway. "Ted Ginn, Ted Ginn, Ted Ginn does everything." I remember hearing a song that had those lyrics during Ginn's Ohio State playing days. His speed did make it possible for him to do everything. In 2006, he was an All-American and All-Big Ten player, Ginn was made the Academic All-Big Ten team in 2005. He went to the Dolphins with the ninth overall pick in the 2007 NFL Draft.
At Glenville, Ginn was known for his ability at cornerback. He also played quarterback, wide receiver and running back for the Tarblooders. As a senior, he had 8 interceptions and returned 5 of them for touchdowns. One of the five interception returns was for a state record 102 yards, another was returned for a pedestrian 97 yards and a score. That year, Ginn threw for 932 yards and 12 touchdowns, ran for 845 yards and 17 touchdowns and returned 4 punts and 1 kickoff for a score. For those accomplishments, he earned DI Offensive Player of the Year honors.
If his football skills weren't enough, Ginn was also the national champ in the 110 meter high hurdles as a junior. He also won the state title in back-to-back years as a senior when he posted the fasted time in the country.
QB Cardale Jones (2012-15) is the best third-string quarterback in college football history who led the Buckeyes on their glorious three-game run to win the national championship in 2014. Although the wins over Alabama and Oregon were massive, I will always remember his flawless performance against Wisconsin.
With J.T. Barrett out, the national consensus was that Ohio State might be able to beat the Badgers, but the Buckeyes were not good enough to make the College Football Playoffs. 257 passing yards, 3 touchdowns and a 59-0 ass whooping later, Ohio State was off to New Orleans...and you know the rest.
To the surprise of many, Jones returned to the team for the 2015 season. He started the first five games of the season before Barrett took over for the rest of the year. Jones was drafted by the Bills in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL Draft.
Jones signed with Ohio State in February of 2011, but gray-shirted and enrolled at Fork Union Military Academy. At Fork Union, Jones was a roommate with Michael Thomas. At Glenville, Jones was a third-team All-Ohioan and passed for 2,168 yards and 18 touchdowns. He also earned a varsity letter in basketball.
| No. | POS | PLAYER | YEARS | OHIO STATE CAREER | HS CAREER |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | QB | TROY SMITH | 2002-06 | See above. | See above. |
| 1 | WR | DAREUS HILEY | 2003 | Did not play. | 4 year starter who played QB, WR, and CB, he had more than 2,500 all-purpose yards of offense and 28 TDs and 5 INTs as a senior, for his career, Hiley had 4,282 yards of offense, 58 TDs and 18 INTs. |
| 9 | S | DONTE WHITNER | 2003-05 | See above. | See above. |
| 7 | DB/WR | TED GINN JR. | 2003-06 | See above. | See above. |
| 44 | LB | CURTIS TERRY | 204-08 | Played in 46 games and had 26 tackles and 5.5 TFL, missed the 2007 season because of foot and ankle issues. | All-Ohioan as a senior when he had 25 TFL including 12 sacks, over 3 years he played QB, RB, DE, LB and safety, also played basketball and track. |
| 3 | S | JAMARIO O'NEAL | 2005-08 | Started the last 8 games of the 2006 season, finished his career with 49 tackles, 1 INT and 2.5 TFL, went by JO or J-Mo. | All-Ohioan as a junior and senior, had 65 tackles, sacks and 3 INTS and was a Parade All-American his senior season. |
| 4 | WR | RAY SMALL | 2006-09 | Small finished his up and down 4 years with 61 catches for 659 yards and 3 TDs, he also had a punt and KO return for a TD. | All-Ohioan, had 35 receptions for 521 yards and 10 TDs as a senior, also had 5 TDs on returns, was the league MVP. |
| 9 | DL | ROBERT ROSE | 2006-09 | Shoulder injuries slowed him down in 2007, he had shoulder surgery in 2008, started 4 games and 3 TFL and 2 sacks as a senior. | All-Ohioan and played in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, had 77 tackles and 17 sacks as a senior. |
| 70 | OL | BRYANT BROWNING | 2006-10 | 2010 captain and 3x Academic All-Big Ten (2007, 2008, 2009). | All-Ohioan and captain as a senior, ranked No. 1 academically in his class, lettered three years in football and track. |
| 7 | LB | JERMALE HINES | 2007-10 | Selected by the Rams in the 5th round of the 2011 NFL Draft. | Defensive MVP of the team, All-District, played QB and LB as a junior. |
| 41 | FB | JERMIL MARTIN | 2009 | On the team for one season, had 11 carries for 84 yards, possibly transferred to Northwestern Oklahoma State. | All-Ohioan at DE, 81 tackles, 22 TFL and 8 sacks as a senior, 27 career sacks. |
| 55 | DE | JON NEWSOME | 2009-10 | Had 20 tackles over 2 seasons, transferred to Ball State. | Captain and Plain Dealer All-Star, had 101 tackles and 17 sacks as a senior. |
| 79 | OL | MARCUS HALL | 2009-13 | Starter as a junior and senior, most remembered for his exit in The Game. | All-Ohioan, U.S. All-American game, Parade All-American, also played basketball and track. |
| 2 | DB | CHRISTIAN BRYANT | 2010-13 | 2013 captain, selected by the Rams in the 7th round in 2014. | All-Ohioan, played QB, RB, WR and returned punts and kickoffs, US. Army All-American Bowl, had 82 tackles and 5 INTs as a senior. |
| 12 | QB | CARDALE JONES | 2012-15 | See above. | See above. |
| 30 | DB | DEVAN BOGARD | 2012-14 | His Ohio State career ended after he tore his ACL three times in 3 seasons. | All-Ohioan who was one of the top DBs in the state, known for his hard hits, had 91 tackles and 2 INTs as a senior. |
| 35 | S/LB | CHRIS WORLEY | 2013-17 | Captain in 2017, missed 3 games with a foot injury, played in 50 games and started 24, finished with 154 tackles and 2 sacks. | Made 89 tackles, 9 sacks, 8 INTs and 7 forced fumbles as a senior. |
| 1, 34 | S | ERICK SMITH | 2014-17 | Played in 33 games and had 73 tackles, 1.5 TFL and an INT. | All-Ohioan, had 10 tackles and a pick six in the 2013 state championship game, consensus top 5 safety prospect. |
| 2 | CB | MARSHON LATTIMORE | 2014-16 | All-Big Ten in 2016, 1st round pick (11th) of the Saints in 2017, had hamstring issues as a RS freshman, finished with 45 tackles and 4 INTs and a pick 6. | All-Ohioan and U.S. Army All-American who had 40 receptions for 911 yards and 16 TDs as a senior. |
| 64 | OL | MARCELYS JONES | 2014 | Left the program after 1 season, tried to transfer to Kentucky, but was dismissed before the 2015 season began. | All-Ohioan and the first in the class of 2014 to commit. |
| 70 | DE | CURTIS HENRY | 2016 | Started his college career at Ave Marla in Florida, walked-on in the spring of 2016 and made the roster, also ran for student government in 2016, | Played with Marshon Lattimore and Erick Smith at Glenville. |
Back To School
Glenville is located in Cuyahoga County and is in the Greater Catholic League. The team competes in Division III, Region 10. The Tarblooders went 8–2 last year, but did not qualify for the playoffs ending a five-year run. The last year they made the post season was 2017 when they lost to Central Catholic (28-0) in the first round.
In 2009, Glenville became the first Cleveland Public school to advance to the football state championship.
Notable
Glenville has won 16 state titles, all of them coming in boys' track (2014, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003, 1975, 1974, 1973, 1970, 1968, 1967, 1966, 1965, 1960, 1959).
Robert Ware was inducted into the Ohio Association of Track and Cross Coaches Hall of Fame. He won multiple state meet titles in the 100 and 220 yard dashes and relays. As a sprinter, he ran the fastest time in the world as a member of a 400 meter relay team in 1972.
Famous Alumni
Famous names you may know: NFL players Frank Clark, Davon Coleman, Jayrone Elliott, Benny Friedman, Mark Gunn, Justin Hardee, Willie Henry, Antwaun Molden, Devine Redding, Pierre Woods, Lindsey Witten and Shane Wynn, actors Ron O'Neal (Superfly) and Jack Weston, Hal Lebovitz (baseball Hall of Fame sportswriter), Leon Bibb (first black primetime news anchor in Ohio), US Senator Howard Metzenbaum, Ray Solomonoff (founder of artificial intelligence) Joe Shuster (co-creator of Superman) and Jerry Siegel (co-creator of Superman).
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.
2,834 days since Ohio State has not defeated That Team.
92 days until The Game.
A big thanks to everybody who read this little labor of love. The 11W community always comes through...the stories and experiences everybody shared each day is what made this series special.
Time to close this chapter and welcome in the 130th season of Ohio State football with a thorough ass-kicking of Florida Atlantic.
