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3/23
Early bird makes the roster
Heath grad Libby earns walk-on spot at Ohio State
By DAVE PURPURA
Sports Writer
Michael Lehmkuhle, The Advocate
Heath's Kyle Libby slips past Lakewood's Matt Delawder last season. Libby, who graduated from Heath in December and enrolled early at Ohio State, earned a walk-on spot with the
OSU football team.
HEATH -- Kyle Libby piqued interest from the Miami University and Cincinnati football programs.
Hillsdale College was willing to do practically anything to sign the Heath standout, who also turned heads at Ohio University, Wittenberg, Otterbein and Tiffin among other schools.
But none of those could offer Libby what Ohio State did -- and didn't.
Libby, a former Bulldogs tailback, tight end and linebacker, graduated from Heath in December and enrolled early at Ohio State with the intent of walking on to the Buckeyes. He survived a 50-man tryout and will participate in spring practice as a linebacker beginning Monday.
The spring game is April 22.
"It's going great," Libby said Wednesday night, in the midst of his first college spring break. "It was either come in (before winter quarter) or in the fall. Being here now, I have six months' more experience than I would have had, and I hope it gives me an opportunity for more playing time."
Libby, who attended Ohio State camps for three straight summers in high school, said he's currently low on the linebacker depth chart. After surviving a tryout just for the right to become a walk-on in the third week of the winter quarter, he started working out with the team the next week -- a regimen that included the well-known 6 a.m. conditioning sessions.
Eighty players wanted to walk on, a group that was cut to 50 because players must have carried 12 credit hours each quarter for the past year -- if they weren't freshmen like Libby -- and maintained at least a 2.0 GPA.
Libby is part of a growing number of high school football players graduating early to participate in spring college practices.
A recent USA TODAY survey of schools aligned with the Bowl Championship Series shows a 53 percent increase, from 34 athletes last year to 52 this year, in players who graduated from high school a semester early and have arrived on campus to begin studies and participate in spring football.
"He made a good decision going over there early," Heath coach Mark Collier said. "He's at peace with his decision.
"As a coach, I respect what he's done. I'm excited for the fact that he's doing it. At school, people are talking about it and wondering how he'll do. He's doing what people said he couldn't do."
Libby dropped basketball and baseball after his sophomore year to concentrate solely on football. He worked out at The Advantage Club with manager Larry Miller, who worked with former Buckeyes and area natives Matt Calhoun and Jeff Uhlenhake.
Calhoun, a teammate of current Ohio State co-defensive coordinator Luke Fickell, is a Heath graduate.
Libby credits The Advantage Club for his increased speed, size and strength. He's running a 4.75 40-yard dash and has bulked up from 200 to 230 pounds.
"This has always been what I've wanted to do," Libby said. "When I had the opportunity to go other places, this was where I wanted to be. I was always set on this.
"If there were greater offers, I didn't know. But I never gave myself an opportunity for them. I mean, there's nothing like Ohio State football."
Dave Purpura can be reached at (740) 328-8823 or
dpurpura@newarkadvocate.com
Originally published March 23, 2006
