OSU FOOTBALL
Three new Buckeyes are getting a head start
Saturday, March 04, 2006
Ken Gordon
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
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Hearing her baby’s hoarse voice on the other end of the phone line triggered Alice Homan’s maternal instinct.
"I said, ‘Ross, what’s wrong?’ and he said, ‘I’m sick,’ " Homan said. "Oh, I just wanted to leave, jump in the car and run down there. I told him, ‘I’m packing chicken noodle soup.’ "
Ross, a linebacker from Coldwater, graduated from high school in December in order to enroll at Ohio State for winter quarter.
Alice and her husband, David, had dropped off Ross in Columbus on New Year’s Day, seven months before most freshmen football players will report.
So she still was suffering separation anxiety when Ross called and she decided to drive to his rescue.
Mortified at the thought, Ross talked her out of it.
"It was hard; I didn’t sleep very good that night," Alice said, sighing. "If it was an hour away instead of two hours, I’d have been there."
Graduating and enrolling early is nothing new for OSU recruits. Usually, one or two players participate in spring drills every year.
But this season is a bit different. Three players — Homan, running back Chris Wells and defensive back Kurt Coleman — already are out of high school.
Wells and Coleman graduated about two weeks after OSU’s winter quarter started, so they cannot start classes until spring. That leaves them in limbo, not a high-school kid, not yet a college student.
"I’m just kind of in workout land," Coleman said.
Every year, early enrollees talk about the benefits of getting a head start, academically and athletically. They adjust to the surroundings and the classwork before the season begins, and start learning the playbook in hopes of getting earlier playing time.
But is it a good idea to be in a hurry to leave high school behind? The end of your senior year can be one of the best times of your life, a last hurrah with friends before heading out into the world.
For that reason, OSU recruiting coordinator John Peterson said, the coaching staff does not push or encourage players to enroll early.
"The high-school experience is very important," Peterson said. "Most kids aren’t quite ready for college and to be away from home. But some are."
Homan and Coleman both said the decision was tough.
"A lot went into the decision, leaving my family, my friends, school," Homan said. "I left all I’ve been used to for 13 years of my life, so it was hard.
"But you always have to look forward to the future, and that was a big thing for me. I sat down with my coach (John Reed) — he’s also my guidance counselor — and we looked at all the pros and the cons, and the pros outweighed the cons."
Coleman remembered Jan. 19, his last day at Clayton Northmont High School.
"I had a little empty feeling in me; I didn’t want to leave," he said. "My friends put up a banner (at school) and everybody signed it. That was nice."
Everything happened too fast for Alice Homan. Ross’s highschool team won a state title on Dec. 4. Less than a month later, she was taking him to college.
"Usually, a kid graduates and you’ve got three months (of summer)," she said. "That part I didn’t like. But we’ve learned with kids that you have to let them make their own decisions and encourage and support them in whatever decision they make."
For all three players, any laments were fleeting. All three say they plan to attend their senior proms this spring, and all will walk with their class in graduation ceremonies.
They made their choice last spring or summer, and they are not looking back.
"For me, it was kind of easy because there was nothing left in high school to do," Wells said. "Moving on was the best thing."
Coleman said, "Sure, I’m going to have second thoughts about it. But I’m doing what I need to do in life. Going to spring break isn’t going to take me anywhere. Football is where it’s at for me."
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