Recruiting is said to be the lifeblood of college football. This series will countdown the top 100 high schools in Ohio that have provided the Buckeyes with football players. The rankings are based on how many times a player from each high school has been listed on Ohio State's roster between 1970 and 2018.
No. 56, Marion Franklin
Qualification
Five players from Marion Franklin have been listed on 15 Ohio State rosters. In 1972, guard Larry Wiggins was the first Red Devil to play for the Buckeyes. He was an All-Ohioan offensive tackle and linebacker in high school, but only made one Buckeye roster.
DT Darryl Lee (1982-86) was a four-year letterman for Ohio State. During his time in Columbus, Lee was known to make the big play in critical situations. At Marion Franklin, he earned a varsity letter in three different sports. In a game against the No. 1 team in Ohio during his senior season, Lee recorded 30 tackles.
DB/S Percy King (1995-99) was known for his performance on special teams. He had three punt blocks with the most memorable coming against Penn State in 1998. With the Buckeyes leading 14-3, King burst through the line and blocked the punt that allowed Joe Cooper to recover the ball in the end zone.
In high school, King was a three-time captain of his football team. The natural leader was a high school All-American and was also outstanding in basketball and track. Today, King is a very talented Shaolin wood artist.
WR Verlon Reed (2010-12) arrived on campus as an accomplished high school quarterback, but came to campus as an athlete. He found a spot on the team as a wide receiver and had nine receptions for 132 yards in five games as a red-shirt sophomore. Unfortunately, he suffered a knee injury during that fifth game in 2011 and derailed his Buckeye career. Reed eventually left the program to play quarterback for University of Findlay.
At Marion Franklin, Reed was an All-Ohioan after passing for 1,714 yards and 18 touchdowns and rushing for 1,658 yards his senior season. He was 23-6 as the team's starting quarterback and led the team to four city league titles.
The fifth Red Devil to make an Ohio State roster was OT Nick Spiess. He was only list on one roster, 1997.
Back To School
Marion Franklin is located in Franklin County and is a member of the Columbus City League. The team currently competes in Division III, Region 11. The Red Devils went 7–3 in 2018. The last time they made the playoffs was 2017. Marion Franklin hosted Tri-Valley in the first round, but lost 27-18.
The Red Devils' football program had an 11-year playoff run. Marion Franklin made the post season every season between 2004 and 2014. In 2013, the team made it to the state semi-final before losing to eventual state champ Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary, 17-9.
Notable
The school does not have a state title in any sport. Several years ago, district employees altered attendance records of struggling students to improve performance ratings. Marion Franklin's principal was fired due to her involvement.
Famous Alumni
Famous names you may know: Basketball players Herb Williams and John Williamson, football players Ken Lanier and Mike Tatum and MLB player Eddie Milner.
Explanation of the Rankings
School "A" had 14 players appear 16 times on Ohio State's roster. School "B" had 11 players appear 20 times on Ohio State's roster. School "B" will have the higher ranking. Why? Even though school "B" has less players, those players played for more years.
If two or more schools have the same number of appearances, the tie will be broken by the school with the highest average of roster appearances per player. If there is a tie in the average, the tie breaker will be the school with the most prominent Ohio State player.
| 100 | 99 | 98 | 97 | 96 | 95 | 94 | 93 | 92 | 91 |
| 90 | 89 | 88 | 87 | 86 | 85 | 84 | 83 | 82 | 81 |
| 80 | 79 | 78 | 77 | 76 | 75 | 74 | 73 | 72 | 71 |
| 70 | 69 | 68 | 67 | 66 | 65 | 64 | 63 | 62 | 61 |
| 60 | 59 | 58 | 57 | 56 | 55 | 54 | 53 | 52 | 51 |
| 50 | 49 | 48 | 47 | 46 | 45 | 44 | 43 | 42 | 41 |
| 40 | 39 | 38 | 37 | 36 | 35 | 34 | 33 | 32 | 31 |
| 30 | 29 | 28 | 27 | 26 | 25 | 24 | 23 | 22 | 21 |
| 20 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 11 |
| 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
2,779 days since Ohio State has not defeated That Team.
147 days until The Game.
Are you a former player, graduate, live near or have something to add about today's featured high school? Please share your story with us in the comments. What makes the 11W community unique is the amount of great information everybody is willing to share.
