Friday Night Lights Notebook

Friday Night Lights Notebook
High School football stars came to shine under the lights at the Shoe last night.

Ohio State coach Urban Meyer has made it no secret that he loves speed. Because of Meyer’s love for speed, it should come as no surprise that Friday Night Lights concluded with all participants lining up by position on the 20 yard line to run 30 or 40 yard dashes to determine the fastest player at the camp.

The winner was Kentucky wide receiver Ryan Timmons, as he edged out defensive back Darius West and running back Ashton Jackson in the 40 yard dash that featured the fastest player at each position.

Aside from the sprint, there were a number of players that stood out in front of an estimated 2,000 fans that came out to watch despite the rainy weather.

Cleveland Heights wide receiver Shelton Gibson made the most noise on the evening, dominating from start to finish. During the agility drills at the beginning of the camp, no wide receiver could match his speed and quickness. And, it only got better once 1 on 1 play started, as he continued to abuse defensive backs for touchdowns. He has blazing speed and I would consider him a must-get player for the Buckeyes in the 2013 class.

Another stand out player was 2014 wide receiver Artavis Scott. He really shined during the 1 on 1 drills, not only at receiver, but at defensive back as well. He was equally as impressive on defense as he was on offense. He appears to have great size and hands. And, maybe the most important thing I saw with Scott was that he goes up and gets the ball when it’s in the air at its highest point. Like Gibson, I would also put Scott in the must-get category.

While it was hard to take my eyes of Gibson and Scott, I couldn’t help but notice Ohio State commit, defensive lineman Joey Bosa. He looks every bit the part and had a solid showing to go with his huge frame.

Class of 2014’s Mikale Wilbon, a running back from Chicago, also stood out to me. He is listed at 5’9” but is extremely quick and has good hands. He could be a very dangerous weapon in an Urban Meyer offense.

Class of 2014 wide receiver Braxton Berrios also looked very impressive. He showed the ability to run very good routes and has great hands.

And it did not go unnoticed that punter Johnny Townsend was casually booting 60 yard punts on the sidelines during all of this. He’s got a serious leg on him.

Former Ohio State greats such as Orlando Pace, Joey Galloway and Mike Doss were all in attendance, coaching and/or speaking to all of the 120+ campers, and Ohio State highlight videos were playing on the jumbotron for the duration of the camp.

Meyer’s first Friday Night Lights at Ohio State seemed to be a success, and may be a great new tradition for the Buckeyes.

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