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Article on 3 UC recruits from Northern Ohio
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<a href='http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050202/COLUMNIST09/502020348/-1/NEWS04' target='_blank'>http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/artic...20348/-1/NEWS04</a>

Dantonio big reason why 3 select Cincinnati


Today's national signing day is a day they have been waiting for, a day to remember, a day they'll never forget. For Marcus Waugh of St. John's Jesuit, Steve Gawronski of Rogers and Jared Martin of Clyde, the dream of playing in the Super Bowl begins today when they sign on the dotted line with the University of Cincinnati.
Waugh, Gawronski and Martin will join high school seniors across the country who sign letters of intent with their respective colleges for an opportunity to play football on scholarship.

For some, the dream of Super Bowl glory won't extend beyond college. But national signing day is a defining moment in all of their lives because it is cause for celebration and reflection on years of hard work and sacrifice.

"It only happens one time. You're never going to get recruited again. I really enjoyed it," said Martin, a quarterback and defensive back who was recruited to play wide receiver and defensive back.

"Having all those coaches calling and talking to me put me in awe," said Waugh, who expects to play his natural fullback position with the Bearcats.

Gawronski, a two-way lineman who will play offense exclusively at Cincinnati, said: "You have to choose wisely. You're going to be living with your decision for a long time."

The three northwest Ohio football stars discussed how they each decided on Cincinnati.

Each player used a different set of variables, but they all emphasized that Bearcats coach Mark Dantonio and his staff made them feel like they truly cared about them beyond football.

Cincinnati's impending move to the Big East was another big selling point. Martin, Gawronski and Waugh agreed that having an opportunity to play for a national championship in a BCS bowl game swayed their decision.

MARCUS WAUGH
Waugh thought his heart had been broken when Ohio State didn't offer him a scholarship.

Waugh's father, Tom Waugh, was an All-Big Ten center for the Buckeyes' 11-1 squad in 1979. Like father, like son, Marcus figured.

That all changed when Ohio State coach Jim Tressel visited Waugh at St John's last year.

"When I saw coach Tressel, my heart jumped," said Waugh, who has also starred in wrestling and track. "But it wasn't going to turn out the way I wanted.

"I talked to him. He didn't look like he was very impressed. I believe it was the size [5-11, 228].

"With Cincinnati, they impressed me because they judge by the heart of the player, not just the size."

Waugh said he bonded with Dantonio immediately. The two first met when Waugh attended Ohio State's football camp as a linebacker and Dantonio, then the Buckeyes' defensive coordinator, was his position coach.

While other schools wanted him to play linebacker, Dantonio promised Waugh he would play fullback at Cincinnati.

"Ohio State's a big name, my dad went there. That was all big in my decision where I first wanted to go to college," said Waugh, who turned down scholarship offers from Bowling Green and Ohio University. "When I took my trip to Cincinnati I realized that going to a smaller school, you have a better chance of being a key player.

"I learned to take your time. Don't go for the first school you see. Every coach that I talked to about a scholarship always treated me like I was the best player on earth. But it's always the call after, the extra effort they put in to recruit you, which Cincinnati did. Right after I got back from my visit, there was a call. That's what really impressed me."

STEVE GAWRONSKI
Gawronski appreciated the personal attention he received from Cincinnati. He didn't feel the same way when he was recruited by Big Ten schools like Purdue and Indiana, where he said he was made to feel like he was just another number.

At Toledo, he said he felt pressured to sign quickly - too quickly, for his taste.

"I felt that with a lot of the Big Ten schools, there's not as much of that personal attention. Their coaches are under pressure to win. You're more like just another player to them," said the 6-3, 295-pounder. "You have to find the best place for you, or you're going to be miserable."

UT made the first scholarship offer to Gawronski at the Rockets' football camp last summer - as a defensive lineman.

"It was a pressure deal. They told me they liked me the best, and they offered me first. They wanted me to commit the same day they offered. I wasn't comfortable doing that," Gawronski said.

Gawronski found a comfort level at Cincinnati.

"I've known coach Dantonio since Ohio State was recruiting Fred [Davis, the former Rogers standout who went to Southern California]. I just got a better feeling at Cincinnati.

"Right off the bat, coach Dantonio told me they wanted me to play guard. I feel good about going into college as a guard. They do a lot of zone blocking at Cincinnati. Our coaches at Rogers taught zone blocking the last two years. I feel like I have the best chance of playing at Cincinnati as a freshman, and I feel like I have a better chance of playing at the next level on offense than on defense."

JARED MARTIN
Martin, who was also recruited by Michigan State, Bowling Green and Kent State, said he was stunned when Cincinnati offered him a scholarship following a one-day workout at the Bearcats' football camp.

"I wasn't really recruited a lot by Cincinnati. It didn't seem serious like they were calling me every week or whatever."

Dantonio made the offer on the heels of Martin, a track star, wowing Cincinnati's coaches by running a 4.5 in the 40 and a 4.19 in the flying 40 (a 40-yard dash with a three-yard running start).

"When they offered right on the spot, I was pretty much in awe," he said.

Martin played quarterback and defensive back for Clyde coach Mike Martin, his father.

"When they made him the offer, I felt very confident that's the kind of program I'd like to see my son go to," Mike Martin said. "It's a program that's on the upswing, and they say what they mean."

"It pretty much all boiled down to they're a pretty big program and they're moving to the Big East. You couldn't pass up the offer," Jared said. "I'm not saying I'm going to play at the highest level [NFL], but I wouldn't pass it up if it came. I'm going to college to get an education and play football."
02-02-2005 01:56 PM
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just a note to non-Cincinnatians

This was from a Toledo newspaper. Cincy papers are ridiculous
02-02-2005 04:12 PM
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