Always great when we see successful HS programs sending kids off to college with scholarships. Granted, we only see athletic ones here, and can only assume that academic prowess is also exhibited. Point being that athletes are having their potential honed and utilized. Great news. Would like to see more of this.
As a diehard Harding fan, I'm thrilled to see the "old school" mentality & energy return to the program. In fact, one might suggest that the current trend of colleges recruiting here has already/will eventually eclipse previous eras.
Quiet as kept, Harding only won three games last year. Quite a few injuries, near misses, etc. Rather than dwelling on their shortcomings, the current staff and administration have taken the necessary steps to build the kids & entire program back up to where it needs to be. A big factor is Harding's world-renowned strength & conditioning coach Mike Bartos, who started here in December of 2024. Things don't just happen overnight in his line of work, but now, the results of his consistency with our young people is starting to show & pay huge dividends.
63 offers between 8 kids after a three-win season is crazy and as I previously mentioned, that trend should only improve in the upcoming days. In Asa's case, he's a very bright young man (4.0 GPA), still growing & bulking up, is very coachable, comes from a great family that gave him a solid foundation, etc. He's a "perfect storm" for everything that you'd want in a college recruit and he's only getting better.
When you play against programs like Massillon (recent Ohio State commit Deontay Malone is a beast, but trust & believe that he's not alone over there), Canton McKinley (also loaded & getting back to their old school ways, but be on the lookout for '29 TB Kyelin West!), Austintown Fitch (underrated program with top notch talent), etc. just on the regular season schedule and programs like Archbishop Hoban, Walsh Jesuit, Wadsworth, Medina Highland, etc. just in your same region, you have to keep your foot on the gas and strive to keep improving. That's before you even get to other Division II powerhouses like Avon (back-to-back D2 state champions), Columbus Bishop Watterson (recently bumped up from Division III where they won back-to-back state crowns), Sunbury Big Walnut (was already solid, but the addition of '27 Ohio State commit Jamir Brown should make them lethal!), Toledo Central Catholic, Cincinnati Anderson, etc. also lurking in Division II.
Looking forward to a fun season of good ol Ohio high school football!
