Mason Still Interested in The Buckeyes?

Youngstown Ursuline's Darrell Mason is one of the top prospects in the 2009 class. Mason was recently offered by Illinois, and saw Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel stop by the school this week. What are Mason's thoughts on his recruitment? Bill Greene has more.

Youngstown Ursuline junior Darrell Mason is drawing a lot of recruiting interest at this point in his career. Mason, who plays tailback and safety, has an Illinois offer to his credit. Ohio State is also showing interest, with head coach Jim Tressel stopping by the school this week.

"We had a great season and now I'm focusing on recruiting a little bit," Mason said. "We came close to winning the state championship, but fell a little short. Right now I have offers from Akron and Illinois. Pitt seems interested. Jim Tressel was in the school this week, and I know Ohio State is interested. I saw Coach Tressel at the school, but we didn't get a chance to talk. I'm really high on Ohio State, and I have been for a while.'

"Illinois offered me as an athlete. I'm hearing good things about them and I will be going to a basketball game this Saturday. One of my coaches at Ursuline is from Illinois and he tells me good things about them. Georgia, Michigan State and Cincinnati have been to the school asking about me. I'm interested in all Big-10 schools, especially Ohio State, Michigan and Illinois. Illinois is a place I'm starting to like a lot right now. I'm interested in seeing the campus, but Illinois is a school I could see myself playing at."

Mason had a great junior year, rushing for over 1,200 yards and scoring 21 touchdowns. He is prepared to be an active participant in the combine circuit.

"I will be going to the Ohio State, Penn State and Illinois camps," he said. "I'll also be going to the Nike and Scout combines. I went to the Scout combine in Pittsburgh last summer and I thought I did real well. I know I have to prove myself to get more offers. My weight is down to 208 pounds right now. I've lost some weight during basketball season. I want to be play tailback in college. I think I have a good feel for the position. I prefer to play tailback."

Darrell Mason is a player we will follow very closely in the coming year. Junior teammate Dale Peterman and sophomore defensive end Jamel Turner will also be receiving a lot of recruiting attention. Suffice to say that Youngstown Ursuline will be a prime target for college recruiters in 2008.