Top Nebraska high school football recruit Jake Schany didn’t just like Ohio University on his college visit. He also was drawn to Athens.
The three-star recruit loved his first visit to the state of Ohio because of the small-town feel that the city has.
Schany’s hometown of Blair, Neb.has a population about 10 shy of 8,000.
“I’m kind of from a small town, and I think Athens has a small-town atmosphere. It’s more of a college town. I just really felt like that was the right fit for me,” Schany said.
But Athens was not the only part of Schany’s visit that impressed him.
“I really liked my official visit when I went down there, liked all the coaches and just the way they treated me was very nice and just all the facilities too,” he said. “I was just kind of shocked. I was very impressed by it.”
Another aspect of the visit that made Schany feel comfortable was the Ohio coaching staff’s ties to Nebraska.
“I think that definitely made me more comfortable with my decision,” Schany said. “I felt like the coaches and I all got along very well and I like them all a lot, especially coach Solich. “He was very nice.”
While Schany made his official visi,t he made sure to take the time to talk to Ohio players from Nebraska about their experience. Six current Bobcats hail from the Cornhusker state, including starting middle linebacker Noah Keller.
“All of the athletes that I met just had really good things to say about Ohio, and I felt that was the thing that made me very comfortable with choosing Ohio,” Schany said.
Jake’s father Kelly also echoed the small-town feel of Athens that made Jake confident in his decision.
“I think when he thought about going to a •Boulder or going to a •Tulane down in •New Orleans or going to Athens, it came really down to where he felt more comfortable,” Kelly said. “I think with the campus and the community and the staff personnel, that’s where he felt more at home.”
He also mentioned that Solich’s ties to Nebraska played a large role in the recruitment process for his son.
“Over the recruiting process, no other school matched Ohio for making him feel like they wanted him bad,” Kelly said.
Despite Nebraska being far away from Ohio, the Schany family will rely on Ohio’s televised football games to watch Jake play.
“It is logistically not the easiest school for us and parents and fans. It’s not the easiest place to get to, and that’s why I wanted to make sure when he was there he talked to any other players (from Nebraska),” Kelly said.
Jake said he is ready to compete for the Bobcats and to do whatever he can to help the team next year and won’t mind doing it thousands of miles away from home.
mk277809@ohiou.edu
