DDN
6/14
Wayne's Evege says he'll play football for Buckeyes
Senior gives Jim Tressel a verbal commitment to attend Ohio State.
By Mark Gokavi
Staff Writer
Donnie Evege can play many positions on the football field — and get there quickly.
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<!-- inset --> <!--begintext--> That combination led to a scholarship offer from Ohio State in December. On Tuesday in Columbus, the speedy Wayne senior verbally committed to coach Jim Tressel's Buckeyes.
"They meet all my needs," Evege said. "Academically, football-wise and it's close to home. All those played a huge factor in my decision. I just know it's best for me."
At 5-foot-11 and 192 pounds, Evege returned kickoffs (262 yards on 15 returns), played defensive back (31 tackles) and running back (530 yards and 7 TDs on 75 attempts) for the 11-2 Warriors. He's run a 4.31-second, 40-yard dash and hopes to lower that this summer.
While he'll probably be a defensive back in college, Evege doesn't mind being tabbed in recruiting parlance as an "athlete."
"I think it's a great thing," Evege said. "Being versatile is very important. It shows that I can do more than one thing."
Evege is a National Honor Society student who plans to study business. He had about 10 offers but couldn't turn down the Buckeyes. Evege joins Piqua's Brandon Saine as area members of OSU's 2007 recruiting class.
Evege asked Tressel last summer about the best time to commit. "He said around July so that I could visit other schools and be very sure," Evege said. "I just couldn't wait."