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2003 MAC Football Recruiting - Ohio Bobcats

Overview

Ohio signed a class of 18 players from seven different states in this years recruiting class.  Ohio got five players from their home state, three from California, and also tapped into Tennessee, North Carolina, Virginia, Georgia and Washington D.C. Four JUCOs were brought in for immediate needs, especially on the offensive line.  The other 15 come from high schools or prep/military schools. One noticeable trend for Ohio is that both QBs signed are 6-2, so gone are the days of midget Ohio University QBs who cannot throw the ball downfield.

Highlights

• QB Austen Everson was a finalist for the Mr. Football Award for the state of Tennessee and regional POY.  This guy is something OU has been missing from their signal calling ranks, big, tall, strong, and an accurate passer.  The last QB to play in the MAC from Tennessee was Chad Pennington.
• Andrew Tyson played on a bad football team in high school and was lost in the recruiting efforts along the way.  But the 6-2 225 pound LB is still growing & should get much bigger.  His father played for the Bobcats in the late 1970s.
• John Taylor was the Metro POY in the Richmond (Va.) area and Virginia’s co-offensive POY.  He brings size and speed to the Ohio backfield and may play as a true freshman.
• To maintain their 3-4 defensive schemes, Ohio signed three players for the defensive trenches; Ivann Parker (6-1, 290), William Brett Sykes (6-2, 250) & Paul Johnson (6-2, 285).
• TE Ryan Antle was a JUCO top 101 prospect according to Rivals.com at the beginning of the 2002 year. 

Final Thoughts

Ohio did what they needed to do, get more offensive linemen, a good TE who can block or catch, and bigger QBs who can give the Bobcats a new dimension in their offense that is far too run oriented.  Although a lot of these players were not heavily recruited, there is still some talent in this class.  There is good size on the defensive lines here and some decent speed, although Ohio could have used some more.  Overall this class rate as AVERAGE compared to the other schools in the conference, but take note, there are a lot more questions marks in this class and this may be the sleeper group in the MAC this year.

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