Ohio City - It's always a good time to talk football and this old gridiron grinder was doing just that while waiting for the bus to St. Vincent-St. Mary for Thursday night's Freshmen Basketball game.

 With the offers and the interest continuing to pour in for gifted and gritty linebacker Tommy Eichenberg '19, this corner talked with Tommy and other Wildcats on Thursday about how their recruiting experiences are progressing.

 FROM TOMMY EICHENBERG: Tommy was offered the scholarship from  Purdue by Boilermakers Offensive Line Coach/Recruiter Dale Williams. If the name sounds familiar it is because Coach Williams was a standout offensive lineman and Captain on Hall of Fame Coach Chuck Kyle's first Division I State Championship Team of 1988. Dale was very impressed with Tommy when he visited the Wildcats' practices this past summer and fall, and it was a great experience for this corner to talk with Coach Williams again, as I had the privilege to cover and report on Dale for The Plain Dealer when he excelled for the Wildcats.

 "My offers so far are Purdue, Toledo, Kent State, Duke and Ball State," said Tommy, who will be one of Saint Ignatius' Captains for 2018. "I am talking with a lot of schools. Ohio State has been really consistent in talking with me. Among the others are Michigan State, where I went to a basketball game a couple of weeks ago, Michigan, which came in (Wednesday) to talk with me, Stanford, Boston College, Northwestern, Iowa State, and the University of Pittsburgh."  

 Tommy said he is looking forward to his visits. He emphasized that his brother Liam '16, a former Wildcat All-Ohio and All-American offensive tackle who will be a sophomore athletically and a junior academically at the University of Notre Dame, shared with him that if he had it to do all over again he would have taken more visits. Liam's final two choices were the Fighting Irish and The Ohio State University.

 From the conversation that Nationally Acclaimed Buckeyes Head Coach Urban Meyer recently had with Tommy (it was shared with me from Coach Kyle and Tommy), it sounds like Coach Meyer doesn't want another Eichenberg to get away.

 "Liam told me to take it (the recruiting process) all in," Tommy said.

 FROM WILDCATS OFFENSIVE AND DEFENSIVE LINEMAN GRANT ABBOTT '19: "I've had some discussion with Miami of Ohio, I went down there on Junior Day," said Grant, who was also named as one of Coach Kyle's Captains for 2018 during the Wildcats' annual Football Awards Ceremony earlier this month. "It was a lot of fun.

 "I've been in touch with Coach Hallet from Toledo (Rockets Running Game Coordinator/Offensive Line Coach Mike Hallett). He's been here at school a few times. And Jim Bollman from Michigan State (Spartans Co-Offensive Coordinator/Tight Ends Coach), we've been in touch back and forth. I went down there (East Lansing) for a game this past season."

  ****A HUGE CONGRATULATIONS FROM THIS CORNER GOES OUT TO SAINT IGNATIUS TIGHT END/OFFENSIVE LINEMAN/DEFENSIVE LINEMAN AIDAN WELLS '19, THE PRIDE OF ST. MARY'S OF BEREA, WHO HAS BEEN OFFERED A SCHOLARSHIP FROM THE TOLEDO ROCKETS.

 FROM SAINT IGNATIUS' DEFENSIVE BACKFIELD MAINSTAY JETT ELAD '19: "Lately I've been talking to Toledo, Eastern Michigan, Miami of Ohio, Ball State and Colorado. I've met a couple of new coaches and have been in touch with Michigan and Iowa State."

 ****WILDCATS CAPTAIN AND THREE-YEAR STARTER ALONG THE OFFENSIVE LINE, AND TWO-TIME ALL-DISTRICT, ALL-AREA AND ALL-OHIO HONOREE, JACK JAMIESON '18, SAID RIGHT NOW HE IS SERIOUSLY CONSIDERING THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY'S OFFER AS A PREFERRED WALK ON.

 Saint Ignatius tailback Jahadge "Bo" Floyd '19, who is coming off an excellent junior season, shared with this corner that he has recently received a text from Eastern Michigan.

CONGRATULATIONS are also in order for outstanding offensive linemen Billy Corte and Juan Pen. The Wildcats' sterling right tackle last season, Corte has accepted an offer from Stetson University. Meanwhile, Pen, the Wildcats' exceptional guard and rugby player, has decided to play rugby for St. Bonaventure University. Congratulations to both. 

 We will keep you informed as other football recruiting news comes along and this corner will let you know once the Wildcats' 2018 football schedule is completed.

 So you at Father Sullivan Gymnasium this weekend.