Jim Tressel reached into his favorite recruiting pipeline and pulled out another talented addition to his Buckeye arsenal.
Just as the University of Miami (Fla.) earned the nickname "NFL U" for sending so many athletes to the pros, Glenville High School in Cleveland is warranting a similar reputation for infiltrating Ohio State with its yearly abundance of talent.
Troy Smith, Ted Ginn Jr., Jamario O'Neal, Donte Whitner, Ray Small, Jermale Hines and others have all travelled south on I-71 from the heart of Cleveland to Columbus in recent years. Now, offensive lineman Marcus Hall will follow the route to join the Scarlet and Gray.
"When you're an Ohio kid, obviously you're going to look at Ohio State," said Ted Ginn Sr., Glenville head coach. "It's almost like that's the logical place to go."
Hall, an imposing 6-feet-5-inches and 300 pounds, figures to eventually play a central role on the Buckeyes' offensive line, said Kevin Noon, publisher of buckeygrove.com.
"He's got the size, strength and the athleticism," he said. "He's a great pass blocker, he's got great strength and good football awareness."
Scout.com ranked Hall as the fifth-best offensive tackle prospect in the 2009 recruiting class.
However, the former Tarblooder will still have to work his way up the depth chart to see extended playing time, Noon said.
"The way that the offensive line is set up now, I think we could pretty much name who the starting five are going to be," he said. "Unless Hall comes in during the summer and fall and really blows people away, he's not going to be vying for a starting spot."
Despite the unlikelihood of a freshman cracking the main rotation, Hall said he won't deviate from his goal of earning regular playing time.
"[I'll play] wherever they need me, I'll even play center," Hall said. "Coach [Jim] Bollman said I can definitely earn a spot in the rotation."
To merit a spot in place of more experienced players, Hall must adjust to playing with more skilled linemen, Noon said.
"When you go from the high school game to the college game, playing on the line is much more difficult," he said. "When Marcus was at Glenville, he was the focal point of the line. But once he gets onto this line at Ohio State, you become just one-fifth of the line. It takes a bit of an adjustment to go from being 'the man' to being 'a man.' "
Hall's maturation is already underway. The offensive tackle said his goal is team success, something the Tarblooders enjoy on an annual basis.
"I'm looking forward to helping coach Tressel not just win a Big Ten title, but also win a national championship," he said.
Zack Meisel can be reached at meisel.14@osu.edu.
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