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Central Ohio's Best: A Four-Part Series on Top Ohio State Football Players by County This article launches a four-part series examining the best Ohio State football players from each county in Central Ohio.
It lists notable Buckeyes from 18 counties, providing career stats, accolades, and NFL draft information.
The piece highlights historical and recent players, covering positions from quarterback to linebacker, and mentions high schools that have contributed to the Ohio State program.
The series aims to celebrate the state's talent pipeline into the Buckeyes' roster.
This year, we are taking a deeper look into our great state and the best players from each county in Ohio.
This four-part series divides the state into four segments and identifies the top players from Central, Eastern, Southern, and Northern Ohio.
We begin the series with the 18 counties in Central Ohio that have produced players on an official Ohio State roster.
To be precise, 750 Buckeyes are from Central Ohio.
We will highlight the standout Ohio State players from these counties and share additional facts about Central Ohio's finest athletes and schools.
Note: There are 20 counties in Central Ohio, but Holmes and Morrow have not yet had a Buckeye listed on an official Ohio State roster.Greg Rogan started 10 games during his freshman season in 1984 and completed his Buckeye career with 40 starts, 238 tackles, 10 interceptions, five fumble recoveries, and 12 tackles for loss.
Against Iowa in 1986, Rogan had a 31-yard fumble return for a touchdown.
Urbana High School is the only Champaign County school officially listed on an Ohio State roster.However, Buckeyes from Christianburg, Mechanicsburg, and Woodstock were on Ohio State's official rosters between 1922 and 1931, but their high schools were not recorded.
The Springfield native was on Ohio State's roster during the 1935, 1936, and 1937 seasons.
For each season, the All-American was listed as playing at a different position.
During his senior year, he was a co-captain of the team and earned All-American honors.He was also a three-year starter on the Buckeyes' basketball team and served as captain for his senior season.
The Philadelphia Eagles selected this multi-talented player with the second overall pick of the 1938 NFL Draft.
Another notable player from Clark County was wide receiver Dee Miller, who played from 1994 to 1998.
Walter "Mule" Elder and R.W.Wallace are the only players from Clark County not from the city of Springfield; Elder's hometown was recorded as Selma and Wallace's as New Carlisle.
The other Clark County schools that have produced Ohio State players are Public, Springfield Northeastern, Springfield Shawnee, and Springfield South.
Karl Sturtz was on the roster during the 1948-1950 seasons and recorded at least 21 carries for 74 yards and a touchdown during his Buckeye career.His score came against Minnesota in a 48-0 blowout win at Memorial Stadium in 1950.
The most recent Ohio State players from Coshocton County were Bryce and Zach Prater of Ridgewood High School.
Earlier players from Coshocton include Charles Campbell (1929), Larry Stephens (1959-60), and Sturtz, but their high schools were not listed.A standout from Crawford County was an All-American and All-Big Ten end in 1946 who was also a member of Ohio State's 1942 national championship team; he was selected by the Washington Redskins in the NFL draft.
Another All-American and All-Big Ten offensive lineman, Carl Kaplanoff, played from 1936 to 1938 and was chosen by the Brooklyn Dodgers in the 1939 NFL Draft.Joining them, guard Richard Mack was the third Bucyrus High School player to earn All-Big Ten honors while playing for Ohio State.
He helped pave the way for Archie Griffin during the 1973 and 1974 seasons when Mack started 22 games.
Buckeye Central, Bucyrus, and Colonel Crawford are the Crawford County high schools that have made an official Ohio State roster.Between 1923 and 1942, three players from Galion, Ohio were on the roster, but their high school was not provided.
Zach Harrison was graded as a five-star recruit coming out of Olentangy Orange High School.
As a Buckeye, Harrison earned All-Big Ten honors in 2022 and was named second-team All-Big Ten in 2020 and 2021.He finished his Ohio State career with 13 sacks and 26 tackles for loss and was selected by the Atlanta Falcons in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Linebackers Rick Middleton (Delaware Hayes) and Joshua Perry (Olentangy) were All-Big Ten linebackers for the Buckeyes.
During his time in Columbus, Middleton recorded 199 tackles, intercepted five passes, and was a first-round selection of the New Orleans Saints in the 1974 NFL Draft.Perry accumulated 296 tackles, 19 tackles for loss, and 7.5 sacks as a Buckeye and was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in 2016.
Six schools in Delaware County have produced Buckeyes: Big Walnut, Delaware, Delaware Hayes, Olentangy, Olentangy Liberty, and Olentangy Orange.
Current Ohio State players from Delaware County are running back Favour Akih, safety Kaden Gebhardt, and linebackers CJ Sanna and Garrett Stover.Rex Kern, a Lancaster native, led his home-state Buckeyes to the national championship in 1968 and came within two games of achieving three straight titles for Ohio State.
Known for his stellar option play, Kern guided the Buckeyes to a 25-2 record during his three seasons as the starting quarterback.
He served as team captain in 1970 and earned All-American status in 1969.
In 2007, Kern was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.Center Pat Elflein, the Boren brothers of Pickerington, linebacker Ike Kelley of Bremen, and Lancaster's Jim Cordle are among Fairfield County's finest Ohio State representatives.