Last week, OL Jim Cordle of Lancaster, OH became the fifth Ohio player known
to receive a Buckeye scholarship offer this year. It didn't take him long to
become the third of those five players to accept the offer.
"I was offered last week," Cordle said. "Ohio State was always
my favorite. I had visits scheduled to Notre Dame and Illinois, and I wanted to
honor them, so I went."
The offers have started to come in for this outstanding prospect.
"While I was away, Boston College and Kentucky came in with
offers."
Cordle will make it official tomorrow. What made him decide to become a
Buckeye this quickly?
"I just want to get it over with," he said. "Ohio State was
the one I wanted, and once the offer came, I knew what I was going to do.
"I will go down tomorrow with my coaches to practice, look Coach Tressel
in the eye, shake his hand, and commit."
Coach Tressel has had a positive effect on Cordle's family as well.
"Coach Tressel and his staff were just the classiest people,"
Cordle's mother said. "When we went down for junior day, they came around
and said hello to everybody."
Cordle (6-5, 285) is one of the Midwest's finest offensive linemen and one of
Ohio's top ten overall prospects as rated the upcoming spring
issue of Ohio High magazine. A first team All-Ohio performer in Division I in
2003, Cordle emerged as Ohio's #2 rated OL behind Lakewood St. Edward's Alex
Boone, who has also committed to Ohio State.
Cordle is as good a run blocker as Boone, if not better. I will go so far as to
say this: if I were rating Ohio OLs regardless of class, based on last year Boone
would have been no. 2 one and either 2004 signee Ben Person or Cordle would no. 2. He is that good."
According to his coach, Rob Carpenter, Cordle is so quick off the ball he
sometimes gets called for illegal motion.
“He carries his weight really well,” Carpenter said. “He is just now
getting into a weightlifting program. He has only been lifting regularly for
less than a year. He was at the Ohio State camp last summer and received a top
lineman award.”
Cordle joins Boone and DB Jamario O'Neal of Cleveland Glenville as early
Buckeye commitments and continues Ohio State's strong beginning to this year's
recruiting class. Cordle plans on majoring in education at Ohio State.