Ohio State Football: It’s possible lightning could strike again
I enjoy following recruiting and am intrigued whenever a player has ties to Ohio State. One WR who fits that bill makes me think lightning could strike again.
There was an interesting visitor at Saturday’s Ohio State football camp and he brought his son to participate in the activities. Former Buckeye star wide receiver Doug Donley was there with his son Drew who is an intriguing recruit.
From 1979 to 1982, the elder Donley was known as ‘White Lightning’ because he could flat-out fly. And with Drew’s time in the 40 you see he can too.
Bill Greene of 247Sports reported the younger Donley ran a 4.37, and he’s only a sophomore. Donley, a 2021 recruit, is listed at 6 ft. 2, 170 pounds and has yet to be ranked in the 247Sports Composite.
Just think if Drew could develop into an outstanding receiver like his father. Doug finished his college career as Ohio State’s reception leader with 106 and averaged 21.2 yards per catch.
He was a track star for Cambridge High School and it was obvious Donley was fast the first time you saw him on the field. But I wanted to hear a little about the Buckeye wide receiver’s speed from someone who watched him up close, so I reached out to a former teammate who was a senior when Doug was a freshman.
Here is what my Ohio State QB buddy Rod Gerald had to say about ‘Lightning’.
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“We knew Doug was special early on and was obviously a high character player. He would race everyone and I stopped running several times to keep him from blowing me out. He was a speedster who would challenge the defense and soon erased all doubts who the fastest Buckeye was.”
Quite a compliment to say the least. To that point, Rod was probably one of the fastest players ever to wear the Scarlet and Gray.
Now it appears Doug’s son Drew may be just as fast. And even though he plays his high school ball in Texas, it would appear one school outside of the state stands out to him.
Here is a quote attributed to the recruit from Mr. Greene’s article.
"“To be offered by Ohio State would be my childhood dream coming true,” he admitted. “Everything in my family is about Ohio State so that would mean the world to me and my family.”"
The young wide receiver walked away without a scholarship offer which blows me away. Coach Hartline has proven he can teach players how to run routes and catch the football, but speed just happens. And the young Donley has plenty of it just like his dad.
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I hope coach Day offers Drew a scholarship, and soon. Then lightning may hit ‘The Shoe’ again in a couple of years.