It’s a college football love triangle beyond compare.
It starts in Columbus, Ohio, stretches south to Gainesville, Fla. and beelines due west to Austin, Texas.
Making the rounds between all destinations – the center of this love fest - is Dakota West (West Chester, Ohio) High School linebacker Jordan Hicks, who Friday will make the monumental announcement at school what place he’ll call home come next fall.
Jordan Hicks is a three-year starter at Lakota West.
Photo courtesy of westfirebirds.com
Will it be the University of Florida, University of Texas or Ohio State, better known as “The” Ohio State around Hicks’ current neighborhood?
Unfortunately, like these triangles tend to finish, someone is going to get hurt.
“All three schools love the kid,” said Mark Porter, founder and editor of ScoutingOhio.com. “He’s definitely going to break some hearts. Two-thirds of them any way.”
What’s not to love about this athletic 6-foot-2, 225-pound senior?
He’s a sideline-to-sideline bone-crusher ranked the No. 22 recruit overall in the country by CBS recruiting expert Tom Lemming and No. 2 at his position behind Penn State-bound Khairi Fortt (Stamford, Conn.).
He earned MaxPreps first-team All-American honors after recording 95 tackles, 13 for loss, in 11 games with three sacks and a pair of interceptions. Hicks is so athletic he’s received mid-major college basketball offers and currently is second in conference scoring at 15.5 points per game.
“What sets him apart is that he shows outstanding pass rushing skills and closing speed, plus he almost always brings down ball carriers on first impact,” Lemming said. “He wraps up and is rarely caught off his feet.”
He hasn’t caught anyone off guard with his college plans.
He announced his 16 finalists in the spring, narrowed them to five in the fall and during weekly press conferences and telecasts eventually communicated that USC and Alabama were scratched from his list, leaving the big three.
“Those are dream schools in all three regions,” Porter said.
Though Hicks, a high profile athlete, is seeking high-profile schools, he’s by nature grounded and unpretentious.
His Lakota West coach Larry Cox told the Columbus Dispatch “He’s not your typical high-profile athlete who thinks he is God’s gift to football. He’s the kind of kid who is going to make your program better just by being on your team. He’s humble, he’s hard-working and he’s smart."
The weekly press conference? Not his idea or even wish. It was a school decision to keep the recruiting chatter at a minimum the rest of the week.
At the same time, Hicks has been more than cordial with reporters and gracious to all the die-hards trying to lure him to their campus.
“He’s very pleasant and open and honest about the entire recruiting process,” said Cincinnati Inquire staff writer and MaxPreps correspondent Mike Dyer. “He’s held his composure through it all and spoke very eloquently.”
But nit-picking between three of the most storied football programs must be a little nerve-racking. When asked what Hicks may like most about each of the three schools, Porter said: “It may be easier to figure out what he might not like.”
For instance, Urban Meyer’s health may be cause for alarm to play at Florida. Texas has a slew of linebackers. And Ohio State, well, it’s much colder there during the winter than the Southern climates.
All may weigh into Hicks’ much-anticipated decision that is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. EDT.
Maybe not.
All Porter knows is this: “It’s making for a very dramatic finish. He’s the guy everyone is waiting for.”
So drum roll please. Here are percentages we think Hicks will land at each respective campus.
Ohio State (25 percent): He’s had fine visits in Columbus. It’s close to home and his mom and friends and family can watch him play. It’s familiar and extremely enticing. Former Lakota West standout Solomon Thomas showed him around campus during an official Sept. visit. Former NFL and Ohio State great Cris Carter recognized Hicks and he and students treated him like a celebrity. But it may be all too familiar. Hicks seems to want to branch outward.
Florida (25 percent): Meyer is from Ohio and he and Hicks made an immediate connection. Some believe Hicks was all but committed until Meyer’s illness. Now that he says he’ll be back in the spring, Hicks may be back on board. We think he’s still a little wary.
Texas (50 percent): Supposedly, Hicks has always dreamed of being a Longhorn. It’s hard to break those childhood wants. Texas rarely goes out of state, so Hicks certainly feels wanted and special there. He also has a special connection with defensive coordinator Will Muschamp, who has already been announced as Mack Brown’s successor whenever he leaves. As attractive as the other two-thirds of this triangle is, Texas, we believe, already has Hicks hooked.
