The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Mentor linemen offered by Oregon
The Oregon football program is trying to get all its Ducks in a row for its 2019 recruiting class.
Apparently, the Ducks’ plan includes a pair of Cardinals.
Oregon offensive line coach Joe Salave’a made a stop at Mentor late last week and offered junior offensive lineman Ryan Jacoby and junior defensive lineman Noah Potter.
For Jacoby, a 6-foot-5, 250-pound offensive tackle, the Oregon offer goes along with the ones he has received from West Virginia, Virginia, Cincinnati, Bowling Green, Toledo, Iowa State and Akron.
For Potter, a 6-6, 250-pound defensive end, the Oregon offer joins his who’s who list that includes Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan State, Minnesota, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Iowa State, Duke, Cincinnati, Bowling Green, Boston College and Kent State.
“Yeah, I was very surprised,” said Jacoby, who like Potter had not had any recruiting feelers from Oregon prior to Salave’a visiting. “They didn’t really even talk to us. He just said hi and wanted to see us in person. He followed me on Twitter and told me to call him. I got out of class and called him, and they offered me.”
The same scenario played for Potter.
“He told me to call them, and that’s when they offered me,” Potter said. “I hadn’t heard from them before this.”
The offer from Oregon “is by biggest one so far,” said an excited Jacoby, a former hockey player who transitioned over to football in junior high.
For Potter, the offer from Oregon was part of a flurry of recruiting activity last week. He was given an offer by Michigan State on Nov. 9, a day before the Cardinals’
regional semifinal against St. Edward. The following day Salave’a visited and gave the offer from Oregon.
Then late that night, according to father Tim Potter, Noah fielded a phone call from the Alabama Crimson Tide.
After Mentor defeated St. Edward, the Potter family departed the next morning
for Ohio State’s game against visiting Michigan State, a game dominated by the Buckeyes, 48-3.
After the game, Potter was invited to the postgame locker room festivities by Coach Urban Meyer.
“It was about taking care of business,” Potter said of the locker room talk. “Coach Meyer said
they hadn’t done that last week (against Iowa). A lot of guys stepped up. The running backs and D-line dominated the game.
“It was about getting back to what they do — and that’s win.”
Potter indicated Ohio State is leading the pack for his services.
“Right now, I’d say yeah,”
he said. “They are one of my leaders right now, yeah.”
But he and Jacoby said recruiting isn’t the biggest priority right now. That distinction goes to a Nov. 17 regional final at Bedford Bearcat Stadium.
“I honestly don’t care about recruiting right now,” Jacoby said. “I just want to beat St. Ignatius.”