Big-time prospect at South Fayette
A photo went viral in May of a Steelers star standing next to a high school junior at a local gym.
Many were shocked when they realized that it was the 17-year-old who dwarfed the NFL player, and not the other way around.
South Fayette’s Ryan O’Hair made Steelers linebacker Devin Bush look tiny.
“He was kind of astonished [I was in high school],” O’Hair said.
For O’Hair — all 6 feet 8, 293 pounds of him — making others appear little is nothing new, especially since transforming his body the past half year.
O’Hair now has recruiters saying, “Oh, boy!”
It wasn’t all that long ago when O’Hair more closely resembled a power forward than a Power Five offensive tackle. He was 6-6, 220 when he took an unofficial visit to Penn State just after his junior season came to an end. That’s when he officially realized he would need to add a significant amount of weight if he was to attract more interest from college coaches.
“The No. 1 tackle from North Carolina was there, and this guy was huge,” said O’Hair. “I knew I had to put a lot of work in. A lot of guys say that, but I went out and did it.”
It has been quite a transformation for O’Hair, who, since November, has added 73 pounds and has even grown two inches. That has helped earn O’Hair offers from a few Division II schools, and growing interest from FBS programs. He said Pitt, Penn State and Michigan State are among the schools keeping close tabs on him.
The recipe for O’Hair’s growth has pretty much been eat, train, sleep, repeat. Actually, “eat” shows up way more than just once. O’Hair aims for 6,000 calories a day, many of it from proteins and carbs. So, lots of chicken and lots of rice. He said Chick-fil-A employees know him on a firstname basis and that he’s going to order a No. 1 combo meal (chicken sandwich and waffle fries) when he swings by the drive-thru each day after working out. He said his parents can’t replenish their refrigerator fast enough. Full one minute. Empty the next.
O’Hair’s first offer came from Ohio Dominican, and he has also picked them up from Notre Dame College, Lake Erie and Fairmont State. Chances are a lot of schools are hoping to see more film before offering. O’Hair did not start last season, instead serving as the backup left tackle to Dominick Thomas, who now plays at West Liberty.
At South Fayette workouts last week, O’Hair stood out in more ways than one. Not only is he hard to miss due to his size, but people still bring up the photo with a certain Steelers star.
“We have some new coaches,” O’Hair said. “One of them came up to me and said, ‘Are you Ryan O’Hair? You were in that picture with Devin Bush.’ I’m like, ‘That’s where you know me from?’ It’s pretty funny.”
Can’t top the Hilltoppers
Norwin’s Anthony Giansante (6-4, 290) is another super-sized WPIAL lineman. The Norwin senior guard has decided to attend Western Kentucky, choosing the Hilltoppers over an offer list that included Columbia and Dartmouth of the Ivy League. The Hilltoppers, who play in Conference USA, went 9-4 last season. Giansante will become a three-year starter this fall. It marks the second year in a row that a Norwin player has committed to an FBS school. Jack Salopek will be a freshman quarterback at Western Michigan.
Fusco to Bloomsburg
A former WPIAL basketball star used a year in Scotland to earn a scholarship to PSAC school Bloomsburg. Khori Fusco is a 6-3 guard and 2019 Mars graduate who played a post-grad season at Scotland Campus in Scotland, Pa. It’s the same school where Pitt sophomore Karim Coulibaly played before joining the Panthers. In Fusco’s senior season at Mars, he averaged 15.8 points per game and was named all-section while helping the Planets win the WPIAL Class 5A championship. He played his first three seasons at Clairton.
Baseball commitments
Allderdice’s Rob Jones (California); West Allegheny’s Luke Lambert (Pitt).