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2007 MAC Football Recruiting - Ohio Bobcats

Overview
The Bobcats signed twenty-three players from ten different states. Linemen, running-backs and linebackers were the main points of emphasis within this class. Ten players signed are from Ohio, four from Pennsylvania, two from Florida and one each from the following states; Arizona, California, Nebraska, New Jersey, Texas, West Virginia and Washington state. There are two JUCO transfers, two prep school additions and one DI-A transfer.

Below is a list of Ohio football recruits with their listed position, height, weight, hometown and high school.

Michael Braunstein K 5-6 198 Gilbert, Ariz../ University of Washington

LaVon Brazill WR 5-10 172 Lantana, Fla./Lake Worth HS

Zac Clark TE 6-3 236 Grove City, Ohio/ Grove City HS

Vince Davidson RB 5-11 190 Dayton, N.J./Harmony Community School ( Ohio)

Riley Dunlop WR 6-1 169 Liberty Township, Ohio/Lakota East HS

Jay Edwards OLB 6-0 195 Nelsonville, Ohio/Nelsonville-York HS

Errik Ejike OLB 6-2 205 Tyler, Texas/ Kilgore College

Joe Flading OL 6-4 241 Cincinnati, Ohio/Anderson HS

John Flowers DL 6-3 255 Lancaster, Ohio/Lancaster HS

Billy Gonzales CB 5-11 167 Bonney Lake, Wash./ Auburn Riverdale

Donte Harden RB 5-11 180 Erie, Pa./Strong Vincent HS

Robert Hightower RB 5-11 190 Youngstown, Ohio/ Milford Academy (N.Y.)

Kenny Jackson CB 5-8 148 Youngstown, Ohio/ Liberty HS

Noah Keller MLB 6-1 226 Kearney, Neb./Kearney HS

Jeff King DL 6-1 277 Cincinnati, Ohio/ Wyoming HS

Dustin Laudermilch OL 6-3 317 Morgantown, W.Va./Morgantown HS

Curtis Meyers DE 6-2 243 Harrison, Ohio/Harrison HS

Marcus O’Hara OL 6-6 310 Hubbard, Ohio/Hubbard HS

Kadre Pinder DL 6-3 283 Miramar, Fla./Everglades HS

Theo Scott QB 6-1 187 Long Beach, Calif./ Los Angeles Southwest College

Chris Spegal OL 6-6 294 Bethel Park, Pa./ Bethel Park HS

A.J. Strum OL 6-5 292 Delmont, Pa./ Franklin Regional HS

Brian Sweeney QB 6-2 192 Beaver Falls, Pa./Blackhawk HS

Quarterbacks
Theo Scott started nine games at Los Angeles SW JUCO last year and is a highly efficient QB prospect that should fit into a Frank Solich offense very well. At 6-1 190 with reported 4.45/40 speed, he has the ability to make plays with his arm or legs. He should contend for the two-deep lineup this fall. Brian Sweeney is from Beaver Falls (PA) and earned several western PA awards as a senior including being listed within the Pittsburgh Post Gazette’s Fab-22. Jay Edwards was a star QB at nearby Nelsonville York (OH) High but will play OLB in Athens.

Receivers
Riley Dunlop put up quality numbers as both a receiver and return specialist at Cincinnati Lakota East. He earned honorable mention all-area honors. LaVon Brazill is a Florida native who earned All-Palm Beach County honors. Zac Clark is an underrated TE prospect from Grove City (OH), near Columbus. At 6-3 236, he has prototypical size to do well at this position.

Offensive Line
The stars of this recruiting class are along the offensive line as five players were added. Joe Falding is a top-60 rated recruit in Ohio from Cincinnati Anderson. Dustin Laudermilch earned all-state honorable mention honors from Morgantown (WV). Marcus O’Hara may have the most upside of any in this group. At 6-6 310, the Hubbard (OH) product rose up the recruiting charts during his senior year. AJ Strum is another big linemen at 6-5 292. The Delmont (PA) grad earned all-state honors as a junior and senior. Chris Spegal from Bethel Park (PA) is tremendously strong. Overall there was a lot of future O-line talent signed.

Defensive Line
Four defensive linemen were added with John Flowers being the most intriguing. At 6-3 255, he could DE or bulk up and DT. The Lancaster (OH) native earned honorable mention-all state honors. Jeff King from Cincinnati Wyoming High is a true DT at 6-0 280. King was one of the top defensive linemen in the greater Cincinnati area. Curtis Meyers from Hamilton (OH) is a true DE and recorded over 100 tackles as a senior. DT Kadre Pinder is from Miami (FL) and excelled against top competition during his south Florida prep career.

Linebackers
Jay Edwards was one of the most exciting players in Ohio this past season. Edwards totaled over 5,000 yards as a dual threat QB but he will enter college as an OLB. With 4.5/40 speed and a quarterback’s mindset, he should do quite well at that position. Errik Ejike is a JUCO OLB from Kilgore CC in Texas. He attended the same Tyler Lee High as former Houston Oiler great Earl Campbell. Frank Solich went back to his Nebraska ties to sign Noah Keller from Kearney (NE). Keller was the Nebraska Defensive POY Award winner and drew interest from several DI-A schools. Keller looks to be a MLB.

Defensive Backs
Two defensive backs were signed and both look to be CBs. Kenny Jackson may be the smallest MAC recruit in several years. The 5-7 150-pounder from Youngstown (OH) had a knack for generating INTs at Liberty High. Billy Gonzales was a 1 st team all-stater from Bonney Lake (WA). He also earned honorable mention accolades as a WR.

Specialists
Michael Braunstein was the starting kicker last year at the University of Washington making ten of twelve FG attempts. Somehow, he fell out of favor with the Ty Willingham coaching staff and let him become immediately available for a transfer. He has one year of eligibility after earning honorable mention All PAC-10 honors last year.

Final Analysis
Frank Solich and his staff concentrated on Ohio players and signed ten, and then went out to nine different states for the other twelve. The RBs and OL line prospects are very solid as are the QB and LB prospects. Several players in this class are expected to contribute this season but most of this class will be counted on one or two years from now. Overall this class rates as VERY GOOD compared to the rest of the MAC, but one thing is for sure, with the success that OU football had this season, several prospects committed right away to the Bobcat program, which is a good sign higher perception OU has now that Solich is in Athens.

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