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Come to Appalachia you warriors! Your gridiron destiny awaits. Frank Solich's staff at Ohio University has a steady formula of attracting talented but not out-of-this-world athletic freaks. The guys that the Bobcats end up with on recruiting day are molded into respectable athletes who make tangible contributions to the team over whatever amount of years they stay in Athens. The Bobcats had far from the MAC's best class. According to 247 sports, their national ranking was 113th in the country.
Without any further delay, let's get to the signees for the Ohio Bobcats.
| POS | Name | Hometown (HS) | Height/Weight | 247Sports Rating | Highlights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WR | Keevon Harris | Warren, OH (LaBrae) | 6'3"/200 | 3 | Yes |
| S | Tyer Tupa | Brecksville, OH (Brecksville-Broadview Heights) | 6'0"/194 | 3 | Yes |
| LB | Eric Popp | Loveland, OH (Loveland) | 6'0"/206 | 2 | Yes |
| CB | Xavior Motley | Centerville, OH (Centerville | 5'11"/165 | NR | Yes |
| CB | Ilyaas Motley | Centerville, OH (Centerville | 5'11"/165 | NR | Yes |
| LB | Dylan Conner | Fort Wayne, IN (Carroll) | 5'11"/203 | 2 | Yes |
| OL | Desmond Noel | Cincinnati, OH (Colerain) | 6'4"/297 | 2 | Yes |
| OL | Felipe Fernandez | Tampa, FL (Plant) | 6'4"/309 | 3 | Yes |
| TE | Austin Conrad | Grafton, OH (Keystone) | 6'2"/228 | 2 | Yes |
| DL | Andrew Cree II | Warren, OH (LaBrae) | 6'2"/209 | NR | Yes |
| DL | William Evans | Augusta, GA (Aquinas) | 6'2"/242 | 2 | Yes |
| OL | Nick Sink | Fishers, IN (Hamilton Southeastern) | 6'1"/301 | NR | Yes |
| WR | Bryan Long | Marietta, GA (Hillgrove) | 5'8"/165 | NR | Yes |
| LB | Robbie Fusner | Grove City (OH) Central Crossing | 5'11"/234 | NR | Yes |
| K/P | Aidan O'Neill | New Platz, NY New Platz | 6'1"/182 | NR | Yes |
| WR | Cameron Odom | Bedford, OH (Bedford) | 6'1"/171 | 3 | Yes |
| OL | Adam Notestine | Pickerington, OH (Pickerington North) | 6'3"/318 | 2 | Yes |
| CB | London Miller* | Menifee, CA (Mt. San Jacinto College) | 5'11"/174 | 2 | Yes |
| OL | Sean Beadle | Murrysville, PA (Franklin Regional) | 6'5"/308 | 2 | Yes |
| OL | Scean Mustin-Sherman | Fontana, CA (Orange Lutheran) | 6'1"/312 | NR | Yes |
| OL | Amir Miller | Cleveland, OH (Worcester Academy, MA) | 6'4"/244 | 2 | Yes |
| LB | Jared Dorsa | Kings Mills, OH (Kings) | 6'1"/215 | 2 | Yes |
| OL | Taeshon Trotter | Detroit, MI (Cass Tech) | 6'5"/300 | 3 | Yes |
| S | Kevin Houchins Jr. | Cleveland, OH (University of Louisville) | 5'11"/195 |
Grad Transfer |
Yes |
| DL | Tom Strobel | Mentor, OH (University of Michigan) | 6'5"/285 | Grad Transfer | Yes (HS) |
No Quarterbacks or Running Backs?
It was peculiar to run down the signing days recruits and see no signees at skill positions like quarterback and running back. It would be a bit hasty to panic about this fact given the number of players that the Bobcats have at these two positions, though it wouldn't be silly to question the depth that the Bobcats have at the position. In a press conference today, coach Frank Solich noted that the Bobcats weren't able to get a quarterback that they wanted, but they were pretty much content with what they have at the position. He noted that the same went for running backs.
BIGGUNS
"The thing that I like about the guys that are there, the five offensive lineman... five defensive lineman, they are ready to go," Solich said. Solich added that he thinks nearly every lineman that the 'Cats picked will be ready to play immediately in terms of physical maturity and strength.
On the offensive side, Felipe Fernandez, Adam Notestine, Sean Beadle, Taeshon Trotter and others made up a humongous group of guys that Solich seemed pleased to pick up. 300 pounders EVERYWHERE.
Defensively, William Evans is a guy that will be asked to bulk a bit and will likely contribute immensely in the future at defensive end. Kevin Strobel is another Ohio guy (Mentor) and a grad transfer defensive lineman from Michigan who will be asked to contribute immediately.
Ohio is theirs. They are Ohio.
Note: The Bobcats don't clean house or anything in Ohio, but they are are set on accumulating a wealth of talent from the state. Per usual, they scavenged high and low to get talents from urban and rural areas all over the state. The prized fruits of Ohio (and yes, we are speaking of high school kids this way aren't we)? Of Ohio's 25 signees, 15 were from in-state.
Ohio picked up super-talented players in the secondary and at the wide receiver position, as well a grad transfer from the Cleveland area, Kevin Houchins Jr., a safety from Louisville.
At defensive back, pickups like Houchins, safety three-star talent Tyler Tupa, and Junior College transfer London Miller are likely able to help soon. A peculiar duo in twins Xavier and Illyaas Motley come in unranked but somewhat hyped from Centerville high school. Solich noted that both of them would need to bulk up before seeing the field.
As for the future MAC wreckers at the wide receiver position, Keevon Harris was a prized three-star recruit. The LaBrae standout is a lengthy, explosive athlete from a small town high school called LaBrae in Leavittsburg Ohio. Just watching his game-tape it's obvious even against smaller school talent that he's destined to be a playmaker even though he seems raw. He was recruited by the likes of Northwestern, Nebraska, and Iowa according to 247 Sports, and that's in addition to several MAC schools. Cameron Odom is another three-star guy from Bedford High School, a place that Ohio football has a pipeline to. The Cleveland area in general is a hotbed for guys coming to OU, and this particular guy has 4.45 speed.
Elsewhere, talented players like outside backer Jared Dorsa, tight end Austin Conrad and more are poised to make early impacts.