Chris Worley Is A Buckeye!!

The big recruiting weekend for Ohio State barely got started when the first verbal was made; Cleveland Glenville’s Chris Worley has become the latest member of the 2013 Ohio State recruiting class.

An athlete who’s projected as a safety/linebacker (perhaps the “Star” position?), Worley held offers from Michigan State, West Virginia, Arkansas, and Pittsburgh among others. He’s listed as a three star prospect on most of the major scouting services.

Chris is a bigger defensive back, measuring in at 6’2″ and 185 pounds or so- it will be interesting to see where he ends up fitting in to Ohio State’s defense.

There was speculation for a while that Chris would be a part of this year’s class, due in part to the focus on defensive playmakers and due to the history that Glenville’s prospects have had in Columbus.  He was initially scheduled to announce his decision in November, but that was delayed until today.  There were rumors regarding his eligibility, but those were put to rest last week when he informed the school he’d made the scores necessary to enroll, if accepted.

It may be interesting to see if this decision has any impacts on, or is a reflection of, Georgia Safety Vonn Bell, who will be visiting Ohio State with his family this weekend. The Buckeyes are rumored to lead for his commitment.

After the jump, check out Chris’ highlights from this past season.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrvv4yvWW1s?rel=0]

Great to have another Tarblooder in the Scarlet and Gray- Welcome to the Buckeye Family, Mr. Worley!

Edit

For the record, here is a post that we prepared earlier in the year when it was rumored that a commitment from Worley was pending:

Cleveland Glenville linebacker/safety Chris Worley officially committed to Ohio State today, becoming the 18th member of Ohio State’s 2013 recruiting class.

Worley is a tremendous athlete (Bill Greene raves about him; he should know what he is talking about) who could fill a number of positions on Ohio State’s defense.

In line with how Glenville players usually go about their business, this recruitment was relatively quiet throughout most of the spring and summer.

Ohio State was a favorite along with Arkansas, Michigan State and Illinois.

Then rumors began swirling of an impending commitment around the Cal game and here we are.

Listed at around 6’2″ 190 lbs, Worley is a large safety that could grow into a linebacker in Columbus. He is rated as a 4-star athlete by 247, a 3-star athlete by rivals, and a 3-star OLB by scout.

That versatility makes him very similar to fellow 2013 commit Darron Lee.

That versatility also means this commitment could impact the remaining LB and S targets in the class (TX LB Mike Mitchell, FL LB Daniel McMillan and GA S Vonn Bell, primarily).

Or, it might not impact anyone pending available scholarships and the priorities of Ohio State’s coaching staff.

Ah, recruiting.

Worley chose the Buckeyes over listed offers from Arkansas  (former OSU coaches Paul Haynes and Taver Johnson are likely behind that one), Georgia Tech, Illinois, Michigan State, Pittsburgh, West Virginia and Cincinnati among others.

You can clearly see potential in the highlights (see below) and I wouldn’t be surprised if Worley made an instant impact on special teams next season.

On defense, however, he will need to find a position and gain experience before he gets on the field which might take a few years.

Regardless, adding speedy athletic versatility to the defense is never a bad thing.

Welcome to the Buckeye family, Chris!