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Drew Thurman (8:29 am)

It is only July, and already most of the offensive lineman on Ohio State's radar have gone elsewhere in the 2013 class. The staff does have a commitment from Centerville's Evan Lisle and are still pursuing several others, but at this point the attention is quickly shifting to the 2014 class. Thanks to some defensive lineman jumping to the offensive line, the staff has the breathing room for this to happen.

One of those 2014 offensive lineman is Jimmy Byrne. The 6-4 285 pound product of St. Ignatius High School is one of the top players in the state of Ohio, and was in fact the first in-state prospect to get an offer from Urban Meyer and company. The Buckeyes are far from the only school to be showing an early interest in Byrne either.

He did camp at Ohio State back in June, an experience he really enjoyed. He also got a chance to chat with Urban Meyer on that visit, and Meyer made it clear that he was a top priority for the Buckeyes. In case you were wondering, Byrne was also the teammate of Buckeye freshman Blake Thomas. So, we caught up with Byrne to see how his summer went and where thing stand for him as fall is quickly approaching.

What did your summer look like in terms of recruitment and camps?

JB: I visited Michigan and Notre Dame and then camped at Notre Dame, West Virginia and Ohio State.

You were at the Ohio State camp back in June, how did you feel that went?

JB: I felt I did pretty well in one on ones and I think coach Warinner agreed.

You got to spend time with Meyer and Warinner during that camp, have you had any contact with the staff since then?

JB: I call my recruiting coach (Stan Drayton) and Coach Warinner every couple weeks. We mainly just talk about how the recruiting process is going and try to get to know each other a little better.

Besides the Buckeyes, are there any other schools that you have interest in?

JB: I'd say I'm most interested in Ohio State, Michigan, and Notre Dame in no particular order at this point.

How would you summarize your game? What are your strengths?

JB: I'd say my biggest strength is pass blocking and being able to handle speed ends and big, powerful ends.

What are you looking forward to most this upcoming season?

JB: The thing I'm most looking forward to this season is seeing how all the work I've put in this off season will pay off. I'm up 25 lbs. and feel comfortable at 285 and I've got a lot stronger and powerful, so I think that should really help my run blocking this year.

Any idea when you want to make your college decision?

JB: I plan on making my decision before my senior year. Whether it's right after the season, in the spring, or in the summer I'm not sure yet, but when it feels right.
 


Comments

Mark
07/16/2012 07:13

This is the kind of kid Ohio State can't lose to Michigan or Notre Dame. Glad to see the staff got in early and hopefully that pays off in the end.

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07/16/2012 09:19

I think the early offer definitely makes a statement of how bad the staff wants him. While 2014 is loaded and I think the staff is making a good early push with a number of offensive lineman, they don't want to lose out on the best one in their own state.

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Chris
07/16/2012 16:31

Always nice to see a young man working really hard to bulk up and improve his game. Seems like the kind of kid that will thrive with Warinner and Meyer.

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