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. 20, Gahanna Lincoln
Qualification
10 players from Gahanna have been listed on 28* Ohio State rosters.
DE Jonathon Cooper (2016-present) Through his junior season, Cooper has played in 25 games and has recorded 47 tackles, 10.5 TFL, 5.5 sacks and recovered two fumbles. He was named to the Academic All-Big Ten Team in 2017 and 2018.
An All-Ohioan, USA Today's Defensive Player of the Year for Ohio, and a five-star recruit as a senior.
| No. | POS | PLAYER | YEARS | OHIO STATE CAREER | HS CAREER |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | DB/LB | TED HALL | 1978-79 | Did not see the field as a Buckeye. | The Lions went 37–3 with Hall on the team. All-Ohioan safety who had 15 career INTs. He also caught a school record 30 passes as a senior. |
| 18 | WR/HB | TIMOTHY O'CAIN | 1978-81 | Played in 4 games, had 5 carries for 43 yards and a TD. Also had 2 receptions for 7 yards. | No information given. |
| 64 | OL | STEVEN DeCAMP | 1979-80 | Played in 1 game in 1979. | All-Ohioan at OT, started every game as a sophomore at the age of 14. Started in the 1976 state championship game. |
| 91, 66 | DT/OL | KARL COLES | 1985-88 | Played in 20 games, started 8 games in 1987 after Jeff Davidson broke his leg. Only played in 1 game as a senior. | Played for Eastmoor as a freshman and sophomore before transferring to Gahanna. |
| 60 | LB | DON DAVIS | 1989 | Graduated high school early to enroll at Ohio State in the spring of 1989. Was not on the team in 1990. | All-Ohioan who had a school record 185 tackles as a senior. He finished HS with a Gahanna record 325 career tackles. First commit of the 1989 class. |
| 41 | K | JONATHAN SKEETE | 2004 | Made the roster as a freshman, but was removed from the team after getting arrested for trafficking marijuana in the spring of 2005. | All-Ohio kicker who had an academic scholarship to Northwestern. Committed to Ohio State when football scholarship was offered. |
| 57 | OL | CHRIS MALONE | 2007-10 | Reserve lineman who was known for his work on scout teams. | All-District and All-Dispatch player. Captain of the team and also won the Golden Lion and Archie Griffin Sportsmanship awards. |
| 91, 57 | DL | STEWART SMITH | 2009-12 | Walked-on in 2009 and saw playing time on special teams. Played in 6 games and had 1 tackle as a senior. | Gahanna made the playoffs in 4 straight seasons and led the defensive line in tackles and sacks. |
| 15 | DB | CAMERON HOWARD | 2015-16 | Walked-on as a junior in 2015. Did not record a tackle in 2 seasons on the team. | Played football, basketball and track for the Lions. |
| 18 | DE | JONATHON COOPER | 2016-Today | See above. | See above. |
*Note, Gahanna's roster count will increase to 29 after Cooper completes the 2019 season.
Back To School
Gahanna is located in Franklin County and is currently in the Ohio Capital Conference. The team competes in Division I, Region 2. The Lions went 5–5 in the regular season last year. They traveled to Olentangy Liberty in the first round and lost, 14-7.
Notable
Gahanna has won 5 state titles. Girls' track and field has two (2018, 2015), boys' track and field has two (2009, 1979) and boys' soccer has one (2009).
The Ed Rarey Track and Field Complex surrounds the football field. The complex is named after Ed Rarey who was the Lions' head track coach for more than 60 years.
Famous Alumni
Famous names you may know: The Buckeyes listed above and a couple of guys that make this site possible.
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.
2,815 days since Ohio State has not defeated That Team.
111 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.
