When Ohio State offered a scholarship to Lexington four-star linebacker Cade Stover following an unofficial visit last spring, most assumed it would be a matter of days — if not hours — before he pledged his services to the Buckeyes.
Stover was in no hurry to make a decision on his future, though, and was instead focused at that time on becoming a better football player and enjoying the recruiting process as a whole. But following his official visit more than a year later, he finally admitted the inevitable and announced his commitment on Sunday.
Officially a buckeye #OH pic.twitter.com/QD3yL4ymFn
— Cade Stover (@cstov8) April 29, 2018
The Stover File
- Class: 2019
- Size: 6-foot-4, 225 pounds
- Pos: LB
- School: Lexington (OH)
- Composite Rating: ★★★★
- Composite Rank: 8 (OLB)
“It's a family atmosphere and you feel like you're a part of something,” Stover told Eleven Warriors following Friday Night Lights last summer.
The 6-foot-4, 225-pound Stover is considered the eighth-best outside linebacker and No. 130 prospect overall in the Class of 2019. He picked Ohio State over nearly two dozen offers from programs such as Cincinnati, Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Oregon, Penn State, Texas, Wisconsin and Virginia Tech.
Stover has long been on Ohio State's radar, as he was one of only a handful of sophomores to attend Junior Day in January 2017. He returned to campus just a few weeks later to watch spring practice, during which he became just the third in-state prospect in his recruiting class to land an offer from the Buckeyes.
Stover nearly committed on the spot, but decided not to for the aforementioned reasons. He returned to campus several times over the next few months in order to build a stronger bond with head coach Urban Meyer, defensive coordinator Greg Schiano and linebackers coach Bill Davis.
That includes unofficial visits for the last year’s Spring Game, a one-day camp in June, Friday Night Lights in July and the thrilling 39-38 win over the Nittany Lions in October. Each trip back only cemented Ohio State's positioning at the top of his list.
“I love those guys,” Stover said. “[They’re] so much like family.”
Both Fighting Irish and Sooners made a late push for Stover, who actually took an official visit to Norman two weekends ago. But with his desire to put the recruiting process behind him and have a worry-free senior year, he announced his decision this afternoon.
Now that he's joined the fold, Stover plans to put all of his energy into two things.
"[I want to] win a national championship and go to the league," he said.
Stover becomes the eighth member of Ohio State’s Dynasty ‘19 recruiting class, joining Indiana four-star running back Sampson James, West Virginia four-star offensive tackle Doug Nester, Mentor four-star offensive tackle Ryan Jacoby, Mentor four-star defensive end Noah Potter, Georgia four-star athlete Steele Chambers, New Jersey four-star athlete “Rocket” Ronnie Hickman and Maryland three-star safety Bryson Shaw.
