Dublin-Coffman wide receiver/tight end Jacob Stoneburner, 6-foot-5, 200-pounds became the fifth in-state recruit to pledge his services to the Ohio State Buckeyes.
“You caught me,” Stoneburner told Scout.com “I just committed. I just drove up there with my family and we talked to Coach (Jim) Tressel and (Darrell) Hazell.”
It seems as though Coach Tressel was as thrilled with the decision as Stoneburner was.
“Coach Tressel was really happy. He jumped right up to shake my hand. He was excited to be landing his second Central Ohio commitment of the year. Coach Hazell was also really excited. He said he is happy to be getting a playmaker like me.
“I was born to be a Buckeye.”
One Ohio player the Buckeyes won't be getting is Kyle Rudolph of Cincinnati Elder. Rudolph, who may be the nation's top tight end prospect pledged his services to Notre Dame.
“Yes, I committed to coach (Charlie) Weis,” Rudolph informed IrishEyes.com “I’m going up there this weekend to watch practice. On Friday, they have a practice and then we’re watching scrimmage on Saturday. I’m just going to take it all in and meet some new teammates.”
It was the teammates that turned Rudolph’s attention in Notre Dame direction. Prior to visiting Notre Dame for the North Carolina game last fall, Kyle thought he’d end up playing at Ohio State. After the visit Rudolph found a home.
“I think it had to do with the people up at Notre Dame,” Rudolph recalled of his visit last fall. “I think they’re similar to the people that I’ve been around my entire life. I think it really reminded me of being at Elder and being in the Catholic school environment.
“My whole family is kind of Notre Dame fans also, so my parents were excited.”
To tell you what position Dexter Heyman might be playing when he steps foot on the campus of his choice is an exercise in futility at this point. The 6-foot-3.5, 220 pound athlete from Male High is being looked at on both sides of the ball at many different positions and now holds three offers from Louisville, Cincinnati and most recently, Northwestern.
“I talked to Coach Ernest Jones at Cincinnati and we just spoke about my recruitment and what they have in mind for me there,” Heyman explained. “He said that with my athleticism I would be playing outside linebacker in their scheme. He said he takes pride in his recruiting and likes to form a bond with the players as well as their family members and that’s something I admire.”
“As far as when I’ll visit Cincinnati, that’s up in the air right now,” Heyman added. “I definitely plan on visiting there because I have the time and Cincinnati isn’t that far away, so we’ll see where it goes with them. Coach Jones just told me that they want a fair shot at recruiting me and as far as I’m concerned they’ll definitely get one.”
“Northwestern also offered me recently, but I haven’t talked to any of their coaches yet. I just received the letter, so when I have an opportunity to talk to the coaching staff I’ll have a better idea of where that may go.”
Heyman currently carries a 2.5 GPA and recently scored a 26 on his ACT. Academics will play a very large role in his decision and he also is getting interest from a number of schools like Notre Dame, Michigan, Florida, Kentucky, Tennessee and Clemson.