Instate recruiting has always been a major factor in a program’s recruiting success. The great state of Ohio has been known to produce some of the top prospects in the country. With Ohio State being the top program in the state, instate recruiting always has allowed the Buckeyes to come out with the best Ohio prospects. The upcoming 2015 class brings six of the top ten ranked Ohio recruits. The 2016 class is not shy of living up to that standard. Already, the Buckeyes have grabbed six of the top twenty players out of Ohio with commitments from guys like Demario McCall, George Hill, and Jake Hausmann. The Buckeyes are still on the hunt for players such as Brendan Ferns, Prince Sammons, and Luke Farrell. Within the top 15 prospects coming out of the 2016 class lies Ethan Tucky.
The 14th rated prospect out of Ohio and 30th ranked linebacker (per 247Sports) is just a short ride to Columbus, coming from Delaware, Ohio. Tucky has been busy building relationships with coaches, taking visits, and receiving offers. “What I learned about the recruiting process is that it is almost like a relationship with every school that you talk to. After a while, you start to develop a personal relationship where you see who coaches are as an individuals. The more serious you get on a school, the more visits you take. I just always compare it to a relationship.” Tucky said.
Tucky, with ten offers from Iowa, Kentucky, Boston College, Bowling Green, Cincinnati, Eastern Michigan, Indiana, Miami (OH), Ohio, and Toledo has been hearing from programs who are still interested in offering. “The schools showing most interest are Kentucky, Boston College, Iowa, Indiana, and Michigan State. They seem to be the pushing the hardest right now.” he said. “I don’t have a list yet. As soon as I get out the schools that have contacted me. It is all about the fit to me in terms of recruiting. I want to see what every school has to offer.”
“I am going to guess by the end of summer, after I have visited and camped at schools, I will have a top five, or a top ten list of my favorite schools. But right now, I don’t have a designated list right now.”
Unfortunately, Tucky was planned to visit Ohio State for the Michigan game, but was not able to attend. To make up for it, he was able to attend the Big Ten Championship game versus Wisconsin, witnessing a total Badger beat-down. Even though it was not an unofficial visit Tucky was still able to see the Buckeyes at full force, which is always an eye opener for anyone, especially with a 59-0 blowout in a conference championship game. The last time he was in Columbus was for the Cincinnati game back in late September.
“Right now, I am just focused on my track season. I am not going around to look at too many schools at the moment. I am dedicated to my team and to improving myself.” Tucky said. He also plans on getting back to Ohio State for a game this upcoming season. “Over this summer, or definitely this fall I will be getting out to Ohio State.”
Thus far in the recruiting process for the Delaware, Ohio native, there is no offer from Ohio State. But, Tucky is looking to get out to a camp this summer and show what he can bring to the table for The Silver Bullets. To describe the situation with Ohio State as a whole, Tucky spoke very confidently about his relationship with Ohio State, and how its grown throughout the past year or so. “I know they want to see me at another camp to evaluate me. They still want to look at my upcoming game film. I honestly think an offer from them is very, very close. I am very confident with where I stand with them right now. I don’t think there are many odds against me, I hope they see what I can put out there for them.”
“Coach Fickell and I have a really good relationship. He stopped by before the dead period awhile back and I think he is stopping by soon within the next upcoming weeks. I love the guy, he is an absolute great coach and person, which has allowed us to develop a close relationship.”
Last season, Tucky lead his team with 48 tackles. He described his success was able to come from his great work ethic and his speed, or “motor” as he described. “It is crazy how fast everything has gone. I just want to play every game with my all, and end my senior season with a smile on my face, I will be beyond happy.”
With plenty of time to go in his recruiting process, Tucky is still on the edge regarding when he would like to make his college commitment official. This will either happen before or after the football season. “If I get the right fit over the summer, then I will go ahead and commit to a program.”
Tucky plans on being pretty patient with the recruiting process. He wants to make sure he has the chance to visit all the schools he is interested in and see what each of them have to offer. With Tucky being an Ohio native, it would be not too surprising if he jumped an Ohio State offer when given to him. But also, the patience could come into play no matter where he will commit.
Click the link to see Tucky in action:Â http://www.hudl.com/athlete/1298659/highlights/176914377/v2
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