Football's early signing period began Wednesday, and at least one central Ohio player didn't decide his destination until shortly before it was time to sign his letter of intent.
Thomas Worthington senior Francis Brewu, a 6-foot-2, 280-pound defensive tackle who is one of the area's top players in the class of 2024 , stuck with his original choice of Pittsburgh rather than switching to Michigan State.
Brewu said he didn't make his final decision until Wednesday morning before heading to Thomas for his signing ceremony. The early signing period ends Friday. After that, football players must wait until at least Feb. 7, when the regular signing period begins.
"It feels amazing," Brewu said. "Dreams come true. All the hard work paid off."
Brewu committed to Pitt on March 16, but received late interest from Michigan State. New Spartans coach Jonathan Smith and members of his staff traveled to Worthington last week to meet with Brewu, and Brewu followed with a trip to East Lansing last weekend.
Despite the late recruiting push, Brewu stayed with his original plan and announced his pick of Pitt in front of family members, football teammates and coaches, school administrators and friends in Thomas' theater. Seated behind a table on the stage, Brewu picked up the Michigan State cap in front of him, quickly placed it back on the table, picked up a Pittsburgh cap and put it on his head.
"I just had to remember why I committed to Pitt in the first place," said Brewu, who had 24 Division I offers. "The scheme fit me perfectly. I love the campus and I felt at home. That's why I stuck with Pitt."
Although he declined to release figures of his NIL (Name, Image and Likeness) deal, Brewu said Michigan State offered more than Pitt.
"It's an amazing opportunity for a student-athlete to be able to be valued and get paid for what we're working for, get reimbursed for what we do," he said. "It's a very big deal for us. I turned down a lot more money to stick with Pitt. I turned down tens of thousands of dollars to stay with Pitt."
Brewu will graduate early from Thomas and enroll at Pitt on Jan. 6.
This was the first Division I signing for Thomas coach Mike Picetti, who recently completed his fourth season.
"It's an honor to have a kid play at that level," Picetti said. "It says a lot about what we're doing here being able to get kids to that level."
Brewu had 70 tackles this season, including 23 for loss and 10 ½ sacks. He was named first-team all-OCC -Cardinal and all-district and second-team all-state in Division I .
Picetti sensed early on that Brewu, a three-year starter, had potential.
"We saw a lot of his potential his freshman year," Picetti said. "We knew he could be special, and he just continued to blossom, got stronger, got bigger. He had a monster junior year and again his senior year was just as good."
North tight end A.J. Miller signed with Ohio, having flipped to the Bobcats in late November after originally committing to Alabama-Birmingham in June.
One of the Panthers' primary receivers this season with 24 catches for 512 yards and six touchdowns, the 6-4, 220-pound Miller said he was offered by the Bobcats late in the regular season but waited to make a decision until after the playoffs. He was named second-team all-district.
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The move will reunite Miller with former North teammate Ben Johnson, keep him within about an hour of home and give him a chance to play for a team that won 10 games this season and the Mid-American Conference-East championship a year ago.
Miller, however, said the decision was anything but easy.
"It was a bit of an adjustment for me and my family, even little things like my family members having bought UAB gear and then we had to buy other things," he said. "I went on my official visit a couple weekends ago down to Athens. It was a bit of an adjustment. It was definitely a process there for about a week."
One of Miller's teammates, running back Sam Williams-Dixon, joined Big Walnut linebacker Garrett Stover as central Ohio players who signed with Ohio State on Wednesday.
Here are other central Ohio players who signed Wednesday:
The 5-8, 170-pound Alford had a record-breaking senior season for the Celtics. The wide receiver made a program-record 90 catches for 875 yards and 10 touchdowns. He was first-team all-district and all-OCC-Cardinal and third-team all-state in Division I. He is the son of Ohio State running backs coach Tony Alford.
The 5-9, 180-pound Armentrout earned MSL-Buckeye Back of the Year after rushing for 1,313 yards and amassing 1,514 all-purpose yards with 18 touchdowns. He paced the ground game for an offense that averaged 33.4 points in going 10-3 and advancing to a Division III, Region 11 semifinal.
A 6-5, 303-pound tackle and three-star recruit per both 247Sports and Rivals, Ball did not allow a sack in his third season as a starter. Ball, who committed to the Boilermakers in March, earned first-team all-district and all-state in Division III.
The 6-0, 205-pound Beal was a key contributor on the offensive line at right guard. He also was the long snapper on kicks and punts. The Dawgs (6-6) passed for 3,411 yards and 37 touchdowns and rushed for 1,655 yards and 25 scores this season.
A 6-2, 178-pound defensive back, Bishop committed to the Golden Flashes earlier this month to cap a recruiting process that saw him earn three Division I offers. He anchored a defense that reached a Division III state semifinal last year and a regional semifinal this season.
A three-year starter, the 6-4, 275-pound Dabo was an integral part of the Dawgs' offensive line at left tackle. He was first-team all-district and all-OCC-Ohio and second-team all-state in Division I this fall.
A 6-6, 285-pound offensive tackle, Dailey drew interest from several Division II and Division III schools before committing to the Owls in July. Dailey helped anchor an offensive line that paved the way for 36.2 points per game and 2,612 rushing yards as the Lions (12-1) advanced to a Division I, Region 3 semifinal.
The 6-2, 185-pound Ezirim was named second-team all-OCC-Cardinal and special mention all-district in Division I. The defensive back recorded 58 tackles, six pass deflections and one interception.
A four-star tight end, the 6-6, 230-pound Galloway will enroll at Purdue in January after originally committing to LSU. Galloway made an impact on both sides of the ball this season for Central (8-4) despite being limited to five games because of the OHSAA's transfer rule. He caught seven passes for 90 yards and saw some time as a defensive back.
The 6-5, 296-pound left tackle drew 24 Division I offers but decided on the MAC-West champion Rockets. Grimm had 31 pancake blocks in the regular season and earned first-team all-district and second-team all-state in Division I.
The 6-6, 240-pound tight end was one of the Braves' top receiving threats, catching 59 passes for 844 yards and 10 touchdowns. Olentangy (11-2) reached a Division I, Region 2 semifinal. A first-team all-district and second-team all-state honoree, Grover hopes to contribute immediately for a Bearcats team preparing for its second season in the Big 12.
The Braves' 6-3, 190-pound quarterback decided on the Nittany Lions in May, ending a six-month recruiting process in which he drew more than 30 offers. A four-star recruit, the second-rated senior statewide by 247Sports and the fifth-rated quarterback nationally by ESPN, Grunkemeyer passed for 3,517 yards and 39 touchdowns with eight interceptions.
A Mr. Football finalist as a junior, Hubbard concluded an outstanding high school career with 2,239 yards rushing and 28 touchdowns to lead the Lions to a regional semifinal. The OCC-Ohio Offensive Player of the Year and first-team all-district and all-state honoree also caught 18 passes for 233 yards and two scores.
The 6-4, 250-pound John played a key role on the Shamrocks' defense as an end. He was second-team all-OCC-Central and honorable mention all-district in Division I. Coffman finished 10-4, losing to eventual state runner-up Springfield 21-14 in the Region 2 final.
A 6-6, 230-pound edge rusher and three-star prospect, King amassed 70 tackles, 30 of which were solo, and tallied 14 ½ sacks for 94 yards, far and away leading a strong defense. He had 25 of the unit's 53 quarterback hurries and was named first-team all-OCC-Ohio, all-district and all-state.
The 6-3, 270-pound offensive tackle earned second-team all-district and honorable mention all-state in Division I as a primary cog up front for the Region 3 semifinalist Panthers (11-2). North averaged 31.8 points and more than 342 yards per game, and the line paved the way for quarterback Landon O'Connell to rank 11th statewide in passing yards (2,193) per MaxPreps.
A 5-9, 165-pound running back and linebacker, LeMaster missed more than half the season with a knee injury. He was named honorable mention all-KMAC and all-district in Division V. As a junior, he was first-team all-KMAC and all-district and honorable mention all-state.
The 6-4, 250-pound Manu was a force on the Shamrocks' offensive line at left tackle, helping them advance to the Division I, Region 2 final. Coffman rushed for 2,149 yards and passed for 1,750. Manu was first-team all-state, all-district and all-league.
The Division I district Defensive Player of the Year and a first-team all-state selection, McCollum finished with 57 tackles, including 38 solo and 12 sacks for 82 yards. The 6-2, 280-pound lineman also was a fullback in some goal-line situations and scored one touchdown.
The Midshipmen are getting a 6-0, 200-pound Mr. Football finalist who is capable of playing both middle linebacker, his current spot, and dropping into coverage as a safety. Purcell finished the season with 200 tackles, 21 of which came in the Division III state final and set a championship game record regardless of division. He was district Defensive Player of the Year, state co-Defensive Player of the Year and the only defensive player among the eight Mr. Football finalists.
The highly sought-after 6-5, 255-pound defensive end saw limited time this season because of an ankle injury. He finished with 51 tackles, including 15 for loss, seven sacks, five pass breakups, one blocked field goal and an interception return for a touchdown. He was first-team all-OCC-Capital, second-team all-district and honorable mention all-state in Division I.
The 6-1, 190-pound defensive back made 15 solo tackles, helped on three more, and added two interceptions for 59 yards. Sebert also was a quarterback in high school, playing his freshman and sophomore seasons at Olentangy Liberty before coming to North.
The 6-5, 315-pound offensive lineman, a three-star prospect per 247Sports, was offered by the Mountaineers in May and was their 12th commit in a busy June. The first-team all-district and honorable mention all-state selection helped Central (8-4) average 29.6 points and protect promising sophomore quarterback Rocco Williams.
The 6-1, 180-pound receiver and three-star recruit fielded 18 Division I offers and committed to the Bulls on Saturday despite playing in only five games this fall because of injury. Watkins, who caught six passes for 111 yards and a touchdown, amassed 657 all-purpose yards and played both receiver and cornerback as a junior at KIPP Columbus.
The 5-11, 170-pound Wheeler was one of the Wildcats' top defenders in the secondary. He recorded 57 tackles, five pass breakups and three interceptions. At wide receiver, Wheeler had 27 catches for 355 yards and five touchdowns. He was first-team all-OCC-Capital and second-team all-district in Division II.
The 6-6, 270-pound Wleklinski started the season as the anchor of the offensive line, but missed the final five games with a broken foot. As a junior, the left tackle was first-team all-OCC-Cardinal and second-team all-district in Division I.
The 6-2, 180-pound Wolfe helped lead the Jaguars (13-2) to their first state semifinal, losing to eventual state champion Lakewood St. Edward 26-3. He had 45 catches for 649 yards and 16 touchdowns and rushed for 227 yards and two scores on 23 carries. Wolfe was first-team all-OCC-Central and honorable mention all-district in Division I.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: National Signing Day 2023: Central Ohio high school football
