Here is a copy of an article that appeared in the 2/5/04 online edition of the Plain Dealer. Note Carr's comment on the comparison of Ginn to Woodson:
The courtship of Ted Ginn Jr.
02/05/04
Bob Fortuna
Plain Dealer Reporter
For Ted Ginn Jr., it's all about getting from point A to B in the shortest amount of time.
After all, he is one of the nation's top high school sprinters and also used his speed for Glenville's football team at quarterback, wide receiver, cornerback and kick returner the past few seasons.
So it wasn't surprising Ginn chose Ohio State to continue his football and track career. The USA Today National Defensive Player of the Year signed a national letter of intent with OSU on Wednesday, the first day of the signing period for current seniors.
"OSU is close to home, so my family will be able to come to all my home games," the 6-1, 177-pounder said.
Yesterday concluded a hectic recruiting journey that began two years ago and intensified around the holidays, with Michigan and Southern California both making a late push to win him over.
It's all part of the package when you're one of top three recruits in America.
THE BEGINNING
As a sophomore, Ginn received letters at his Cleveland home from about 40 schools, including most of the nation's top college football programs.
The race was on, gathering speed as the days and months progressed. Every little thing Ginn said and did was dissected as an indication of which school had the edge. Even the clothes Ginn wore would cause speculation. If he wore a red T-shirt, he was going to be a Buckeye. If his jacket was blue, people gave Michigan the nod.
There was little peace in the Ginn house, because the phone would ring day and night. Ginn's plan was to keep silent, even when coaches at Glenville hinted he was going to be a Buckeye.
"Those Web-site guys were the worst," Ginn said of the Internet fan and recruiting sites. "They wouldn't let up. They wouldn't leave me alone. They wouldn't leave my family alone."
Still, Ginn went about his work unfazed. He attended camps at the University of Akron, Toledo, Michigan, OSU and Pitt last summer. He attended camps at Akron and Toledo so he could use them as test sites to get him ready for the schools that mattered most.
In early August, Ginn sliced his list to four schools: OSU, Southern California, Michigan and Pittsburgh. They emerged as the finalists for one reason: loyalty. Ohio State and USC were the first college letters he received. Pitt and Michigan followed.
"Those four stuck with me, even though there were times I gave each of them the impression I might not be interested," Ginn said.
Their persistence and praise was flattering, but Ginn did his best to not let it get to him.
"I didn't get a big head," Ginn said. "Once you get a big head, all your common sense and humility goes. You get a big head, you're dead. I just wanted to get stronger, better in every area of the game. It was a lot of work."
THE VISITS
On Nov. 22, the weekend before Thanksgiving, Ginn stood on the Michigan sideline as the host Wolverines defeated Ohio State for the Big Ten title.
"It was tough because I couldn't root for either team," Ginn said. "I was being recruited, and I had friends playing for both schools."
By this time, Ginn wasn't taking naps in the car going to and from visits. Instead, he would mentally prepare for the upcoming adventure. He'd rehash what he took in on the ride home. With the rigorous training schedule Ginn had put his body through the last few years, it didn't take much to throw him off schedule. If he wasn't in bed before 11 p.m. and didn't get a good breakfast, he felt it.
Ginn was growing tired, mentally and physically.
The following weekend, Nov. 29-30, he found himself on the Pitt sideline when the Panthers lost to Miami of Florida in a Big East Conference game.
"The game was good and I liked the campus," he said. "I was more familiar with that campus, because my dad had taken me to their camp since I was in the ninth grade."
The first weekend in December arrived. While all his friends were thinking about the upcoming holidays and filling out Christmas lists, Ginn and his parents drove to Columbus to pay the Buckeyes a visit.
"It was a cold, snowy weekend," Ginn said. "I had the flu real bad, so I really couldn't see all the things I wanted to."
A couple of firsts highlighted the weekend of Dec. 6-7, when Ginn and his mother, Jeanette, visited USC. It was Ginn's only visit requiring airfare and the only visit his dad couldn't make. Ted Jr. watched the Trojans practice and attended academic meetings, but the thing he remembered most was the weather. It was hot, and he liked that.
The coaches from all four schools told Ginn what he wanted to hear.
"All the coaches told me I would be given a chance to further my track career," said Ginn, who dreams of making the U.S. men's Olympic Track and Field Team in the 400-meter dash. "The Ohio State, Pitt and USC coaches told me I'd get a fair shot at starting as a freshman, but I'd have earn it."
Michigan coach Lloyd Carr even took it a step further. He had done his homework. He knew Ginn liked Michigan from the time Charles Woodson played his first college game to when he emerged as a two-way standout for the Wolverines and won the 1997 Heisman Trophy. Carr knew Ginn emulated Woodson, even going as far as wearing No. 2 on his game jersey.
"Coach Carr was the only one who told me I had a starting position locked up," Ginn said. "He told me there were only two players who had the talent to start on defense and offense at Michigan: Charles Woodson and me."
THE FINAL CHAPTER
Seven home visits by courting schools intertwined with his official campus visits. UCLA, Tennessee and Michigan State came to his house, as did the four schools he visited.
The week before Christmas, the Trojans sent head coach Pete Carroll, two of his assistant coaches and an assistant track coach to the Ginns' home. That USC meeting posed "a positive problem," Ginn said.
"That was impressive," Ginn said. "They have an excellent football and track team. They were losing two cornerbacks, and coach Carroll told me the other two guys they had were all right but. . . . He told me I'd have the opportunity to return punts and kicks. And I could train outdoors all year long because of the weather."
After the USC contingent said its goodbyes, the usually sure-minded Ginn realized he had reached a crossroads. He went to his room and soul-searched for the next few hours.
"It hit him hard," said his dad, Ted Ginn Sr. "He realized this was going to be one of the biggest decisions of his life."
In those hours of contemplation, Ted Jr. looked at the big picture. Sure, he liked what USC had to offer, but the appeal of Michigan and Ohio State carried more meaning. Things that hit closer to home usually do. Former Tarblooder Pierre Woods is a starting linebacker for the Wolverines. True freshman and Glenville graduate Donte Whitner started in the defensive backfield for the Buckeyes.
Tarblooder product Troy Smith will be in the running for OSU's starting quarterback position when spring drills arrive, and ex-Glenville standout Dareus Hiley should see action at wide receiver in seasons to come.
"They all talked up their schools when this recruiting thing began," Ted Jr. said.
They then acted like true friends, backing off because they wanted Ginn to make the decision on his own. They, too, once lived through the tug-of-war pressure he was feeling.
"They left me alone as a courtesy," Ginn said.
THE HOME STRETCH
News of Ginn's decision to attend Ohio State first appeared in The Plain Dealer the morning of Jan. 3. A few hours later, he would announce it to the country while he took a break from playing in the All-American Bowl national all-star game in San Antonio.
After returning to Cleveland with the game's Offensive Most Valuable Player trophy under his arm, Ginn tied up loose ends. He phoned Pitt, Michigan and USC and left messages saying he was going to OSU.
"I called them back out of respect," Ginn said.
Pitt coach Walt Harris called back to say thanks and wished him well.
"It's a business, I know that," Ginn said. "I liked all the schools I visited. They're good schools with good academic reputations and they treated me well.
"My mom didn't say much, but I knew just by what she said, she wanted me to be a Buckeye," he said.
Ginn feels he has followed the advice of his father, a Glenville graduate and the school's head football and boys track coach. Ted Sr. has always told his son to be proud of his neighborhood and his school.
"Dad's always told me it's about giving back," Ted Jr. said. "By going to Ohio State, I'll be giving back to my community and the state of Ohio."
And because of that philosophy, when Ted Ginn Jr. picked up a pen and signed his letter of intent yesterday morning, he was in a comfortable state of mind.
The race was over.
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