Eleven Warriors - A Buckeye Sports Blog

Some good things come from Michigan

Now that we’re in the lull between the basketball season and the start of spring practice, it’s time to get back to some good old football. After having the chance to interview future Buckeyes Jamie Wood, Carlos Hyde, Jordan Hall, and John Simon, we were able to sit down with another class of 2009 signee, Reid Fragel.

Fragel, a tight end from Grosse Point South High School, is one of two prospects from the state up north to come down to play for the good guys next season. In addition to his excellent receiving skills, Reid is a very capable blocker at both tight end and tackle, where he played a little bit during his senior year, starting the buzz that he might one day move to the position full time (a la Andy Miller). Whatever the cards hold for his future, Fragel is one of the few freshmen with a chance to play right away because of the thin depth at the tight end position and at 6-7/255, he has the combination of size and athleticism to excel at either tight end or tackle at the next level.

In this segment, Reid talks to us about what he thinks about OSU’s recruitment of other tight ends after he committed, what position he thinks he’ll play in the future, and what it is like to be a Buckeye in enemy territory.

How does it feel to officially be a Buckeye?
It feels great to finally have that weight lifted off my shoulders and be able to move on and focus on become a better athlete as well as being able to finish off my high school career.

What was your role as a Tight End in high school-did you catch or block more?
As a tight end at my school I initially was 50/50 until I broke my left thumb the first day of pads. After that I moved to LT with a club on my hand until about 6 games into the season where I could switch back to tight end.

Are you excited to have a chance to play right away, being that Jake Ballard and Nic DiLillo are the only two other scholarship tight ends on the roster?
I am really excited to be able to play with Jake since he has so much experience, and I feel that Nic and I will push one another to only become better players. As far as playing time goes, I will be ready when they need me whenever that may be.

What is the one thing you need to improve upon?
Among the things I wish to improve on physically, I feel that my route running may be the spot I need to improve on most especially for the college level. I always find something that I need to work on though because my competition is working just as hard if not harder than I am.

Did it bother you that the staff recruited other tight ends like Ra’Shede Hageman and Dion Sims even after you committed?
Not at all, I love competition. I feel that if they were to have signed another tight end, it would have only pushed me harder to be better. I was actually hoping we would land another tight end, it would only benefit the team and motivated me more.

What is it like to be a Michigan kid going to Ohio State?
Well I was born in Illinois, and then moved to Toledo, Ohio. I moved here when I was about 7, so I never really became a full blown Michigan kid. I guess all the flak I got was expected though when I committed to OSU. It wasn’t that big of a deal though to me.

There had been some noise during your recruitment that you could one day grow into an offensive tackle (like Andy Miller). Is this a future possibility or is it tight end all the way for you?
I am all for whatever the program wants me at and can utilize my abilities at better. I’ve never had a problem with the tackle position but my heart is with tight end. It all comes down to where they want me though, and right now that is at tight end.

What will you be studying at OSU?
I plan on studying business

What is an interesting fact you want Buckeye fans to know?
I’m prepared to dedicate my life to the Buckeye family for 4-5 years.

And now for some highlights: