[Buckskin86]

OSU HAS GOOD SHOT AT LONG

Kyle Long, a 6-foot-7, 280-pound offensive lineman from St. Anne?s Belfield High School in Virginia, is seriously considering Ohio State. Long is just a junior, but he is one of the top-ranked offensive linemen in the Class of 2008.

The son of Hall of Famer Howie Long already is enamored with Buckeye Head Coach Jim Tressel. Long visited Ohio State over the Easter holiday. He took a tour of campus with Tressel in a golf cart.

?He?s like the governor of Ohio,? Long said. ?He was incredible. You step on campus there and meet Coach Tressel and Coach (Jim) Bollman. They?re responsible for the success Ohio State has had. You can feel football when you walk on the campus. ... It just turns you on.?

Long watched the OSU-Texas game on TV. He rooted for the Buckeyes. Games like that are a reason Long wouldn?t mind going to OSU.

?They have all those big-named Big Ten teams, and then they play a Texas and a USC. National respect is on the line, and I?m a big respect guy,? Long said. ?Ohio State has gained the respect of everybody in the country.?

His top schools, in no order, are OSU, Notre Dame, Virginia (where his brother plays), Kansas State and Louisville.

Football may not be Long?s only avenue. He was an all-state baseball player on St. Anne?s state championship baseball team. He played outfield and pitcher. And yes, there is a chance he could be drafted after his senior season.

?I?m in high school, and I don?t like one more than the other,? he said. ?I figure if I?m having success in both sports at the end of my senior year, I will have a tough decision to make. I?m going to take my visits for football, play baseball and see what happens.?

FAMOUS DAD

Long said his father will not make the decision where he goes to college. ?He wants me to go to a place where I feel comfortable,? Long said. ?And he wants to feel comfortable sending me away.?

That is why Howie Long flew to Columbus last week. He watched practice, toured the campus and met Tressel in person. He said on a radio interview two years ago that Jim Tressel is the kind of guy who ?could coach his son.?

FAMOUS GROUNDS CREW

St. Anne?s used to have the world?s most famous grounds crew. Howie Long and acclaimed author John Grisham used to paint the lines on the field. ?We just got turf, so they?ve been demoted to the stands,? Kyle Long said.

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