Schany taking his talents to Ohio

Blair, Neb., three-star linebacker Jake Schany has been close to making his final decision for the past several weeks, and he finalized the deal on Tuesday night with a call to the coaching staff.

"I decided Ohio was the place I wanted to go," Schany reported. "I was talking to Coach Burrow and told him I wanted to commit. He was in the room with Coach Solich and Coach Collins. He talked to me for a little bit, then gave the phone to Coach Solich who congratulated me and told me they were really excited for me to come in there."

The 6-2, 210-pound Schany had pulled in offers from Ivy League schools, Division IAA schools and BCS programs. In the end, three teams remained as finalists.

"It was basically down to Colorado, Ohio and Tulane," Schany said. "I just wanted to make sure I saw all three of those. Then Iowa was kind of in the mix, they were just saying they needed a little more time, but I just felt that Ohio was the school I needed to go to."

Schany attended a camp at Colorado, then took official visits to Ohio and Tulane this fall. Those trips helped identify Ohio as the right fit for Schany.

"I've been thinking about it for awhile, but me and my dad both wanted me to see all of the schools and all my options," Schany said. "When I visited Ohio, I liked everything about it basically. I think it will be a good fit, so I am very excited about it. Honestly, Ohio has better facilities and I felt I built a better relationship with the coaches at Ohio."

Schany suffered through an illness earlier this season and his weight dropped below 200 pounds, but he is getting back to 100 percent on the field for his Blair High team.