Photo Gallery : A Recruiting Odyssey - National Signing Day 2006
My 5th annual recruiting odyssey began with a stop at Glenville High School in Cleveland to see three Tarblooders ink their respective letters of intent with Ohio State.
Robert Rose...
...Ray Small...
...and Bryant Browning officially became members of the Ohio State Buckeyes on Wednesday.
In addition to the three OSU players, 18 others signed letters of intent with guys like Daven Jones going to Wisconsin...
...and Arvell Nelson heading off to Iowa. Eight Tarblooders signed with Big Ten universities on Wednesday.
The signing ceremony had to be moved to the school's gymasium to accomodate the vast number of student-athletes who had letters to sign.
The tables with players nearly stretched from baseline to baseline.
Head Coach Ted Ginn addressed the crowd in attendance before the players put the ceremonial pen to the paper.
Coach Ginn equated signing day with a state championship for Glenville.
Thaddeus Gibson of Euclid was next.
Gibson's dream of playing for Ohio State is another step closer now.
Gibson shared his special day with his good friend Darius Smith, the younger brother of OSU's Brandon Smith, who signed with Bowling Green.
St. Edward's didn't have any seniors signing with Ohio State but these four seniors-to-be will likely be signing their own letters a year from now. Kyle Hubbard, Diauntae Morrow, Frank Edmonds and Nate Oliver will all be top recruits next season.
Oliver, who became the first player to verbally commit to OSU's 2007 class on Wednesday,...
...and a slimmed-down Hubbard, who's playing basketball now on the school's hoop team, are St. Edward's two biggest recruits for next season.
And finally I was off to Garfield High School to see Chris Wells formally become a Buckeye...
...after he signed his formal letter on Wednesday.
Wells, of course, won the Pete Dawkins Trophy, awarded to the game's most valuable player in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl.
Clad in Ohio State colors, Wells formed the shape of an 'O' as he took this photo.
His shoes were obviously a conversation piece.
Wells had his mom and dad and other family members with him to celebrate his special day.
Wells will attend a banquet on Saturday in Columbus and then temporarily live off-campus at Ohio State with relatives until he enrolls in time for the spring quarter at Ohio State.
Wells said he will wear 28 at Ohio State. As of now, Browning believes he will be 70, Small will keep his 13, Rose is trying to get 11 but is uncertain of that and Gibson will likely wear 9.