Seven 270 Gridiron alums have clinched a spot in the NFL playoffs, with Wild Card Weekend beginning this Saturday. Here's a look at everyone from Columbus competing for a trip to Super Bowl LIX.

 LB Brian Asamoah, Columbus St. Francis DeSales (Vikings)

Class: 2018

Asamoah is in his third season with the Vikings, appearing in 14 games this season. He played in 37 games between 2019 and 2021, totaling 179 tackles, 13 tackles-for-loss, and 5 sacks in his college career at Oklahoma University. At DeSales, he ranked as one of the best linebackers in Ohio with 36 tackles, and doubling as a running back with over 1,600 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns. Asamoah started his annual youth football camp in the summer of 2023, and has participated in several other charitable efforts throughout his time in the league. The Vikings will head to Los Angeles to face the Rams in the wild card round next Monday at 8PM ET on ABC.

DT DeWayne Carter, Pickerington Central (Bills)

Class: 2019

Selected in the third round (95th overall) in last April's NFL Draft, Carter is one of three Bills from Central Ohio who will be taking on the Denver Broncos on Sunday afternoon. Carter has played in 11 games for Buffalo in his rookie year, tallying 11 total tackles. Carter was a two-time team captain at Duke University, and collected plenty of league, district, and state awards during his days as a Pickerington Central Tiger, including a state title in 2017.

EDGE Jonathan Cooper, Gahanna Lincoln (Broncos)

Class: 2016

In November, Cooper was signed to a massive 4-year, $60 million extension, keeping him in Denver through the 2028 season. Cooper was only a seventh round pick out of Ohio State in 2021, but he has  developed into a house hold name in the Broncos front seven. Cooper has played in all 17 games in back-to-back seasons. He has 190 total tackles in his career to go with 23.5 sacks. In yesterday's win over Kansas City, Cooper had two tackles and a sack. Cooper makes his playoff debut against the Bills on Sunday at 1PM ET on CBS.

S Darrick Forrest Jr., Walnut Ridge (Commanders)

Class: 2017

Forrest is one of two Walnut Ridge alums in the playing postseason football. The Commanders defensive back was drafted in the fifth round out of the University of Cincinnati in 2021. He was a first-team all-conference in his final year at Cincinnati, and totaled 200 tackles, six interceptions, and 12 pass break-ups in his college career. At Walnut Ridge, Forrest made the All-Central District team as a two-way athlete, and was ranked as a three star recruit coming out of Columbus. Washington will travel to Tampa to take on the Buccaneers on Sunday at 8PM ET on NBC.

TE Reggie Gilliam, Westland (Bills)

Class:  2015

Bills veteran Gilliam has made several trips back to his Westland roots over the years where he has given back to the football program, as well as the rest of the Southwest Columbus area. His charitable efforts have also left a mark in the Western New York area, where he's played professionally since 2020. Gilliam went undrafted out of Toledo, but has found a role with the team as a fullback/tight end for five seasons now. Gilliam was first-team OCC at Westland with 845 all-purpose yards as a senior, before walking on at UT in 2016.

LB Malik Harrison, Walnut Ridge (Ravens)

Class: 2016

One of Columbus' most exciting athletes of his generation, Harrison has put together a great career as a linebacker for the Ravens. The 2020 third round selection from Ohio State has 174 tackles for his career -- 54 of which came this season. Harrison has had the best season of his career thus far, setting career-highs in just about every stat category. Harrison and the Ravens will host the Steelers on Saturday at 8PM ET on Amazon's Prime Video streaming service. It will be his 6th NFL playoff game of his career.

EDGE Dawuane Smoot, Groveport Madison (Bills)

Class: 2013

Drafted in 2017, Smoot is one of the most tenured current players from Central Ohio. He's in his first season with the Bills after spending the first seven years of his career in Jacksonville. Smoot has totaled 149 tackles and 25 sacks in his career. At Illinois, he had 56 tackles, 15 tackles-for-loss, and five sacks. As a senior at Groveport Madison, he had 91 tackles, 14 sacks, and forced five fumbles, good enough to put him on the OCC first-team and All-Metro second-team.

 COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Pen finally meets paper as players and programs make things official for the 2025 season. We take a look at the next wave of athletes who will go from Central Ohio to the Division I college football level.

Youngstown State has loaded up with Central Ohio prospects, adding seven players in this year’s cycle—the most among all Division I programs. The Penguins had nine Central Ohio alums on their 2024 roster, and have been an attractive program for players around Ohio for several years.

Ohio will be playing for MAC supremacy in Detroit this Saturday, but they’ve already taken the crown for Central Ohio signees in the 2025 class. The Bobcats officially welcome in four freshman, including Brandon Weaver, younger brother of Bradley Weaver, who currently stars on the defensive line. Their biggest rival and MAC title opponent, Miami University will add offensive lineman Ayden Annarino. Treyton McKee is the only other player to sign with a MAC school.

The hometown Buckeyes brought in three players as well. Quarterback Tavien St. Clair headlines the entire 2025 class for Ohio State, while Westerville North’s Jake Cook hopes to become a key piece in the offensive line. Hidden gem Bodpegn Miller signs from Ontario. Miller and St. Clair were both awarded as Mr. Football finalists last week.

For the Big Ten as a whole, seven players from Central Ohio have been added to the power conference. 14 players in total will head to a power conference, with the ACC, Big 12, and SEC all having multiple representatives.

Central Ohio also saw three flips in the last week. Safeties Terris Dudley and Tyrell Russell flipped from Toledo as Dudley signed with NC State, and Russell signed with West Virginia. Myles Harrison flipped from Buffalo to sign with Cincinnati, becoming the second Bearcat signee along with Gahanna Lincoln’s Terrell Holcomb.

Aforementioned Russell became the second player from the City League to go from Columbus to Morgantown. Despite the dismissal of West Virginia head coach Neal Brown, the Mountaineers were able flip Russell as well as sign Dawayne Galloway Jr., who had originally committed to Purdue over the summer.

On the high school angle, Gahanna Lincoln tallied the most D-1 signings with six, including three headed to Youngstown State. Pickerington North had with five, and three come out of Pickerington Central. Bellefontaine, Dublin Coffman, Upper Arlington, and Westerville North were the only other schools with multiple signees.

The City League had an impressive three players sign today, two of which are in the Big 12 as we mentioned earlier. The CCL had two players sign today as did the MSL, both coming from Bloom-Carroll.

Congratulations to all players who signed today. We’re excited to continue following the journey of our athletes from the area. Stay tuned as we plan to give a follow up for the remaining of the 2025 class before we turn the page to 2026.

ATH Jake Bushelman, Army (Gahanna Lincoln)

DL Jeremy McDowell, Army (Gahanna Lincoln)

ATH Amari Valerio-Hudson, Army (Dublin Coffman)

DB Tyree Green Jr., Boston College (Reynoldsburg)

K Treyton McKee, Bowling Green (Bloom-Carroll)

CB Zach Corna, Bucknell (Upper Arlington)

EDGE Myles Harrison, Cincinnati (Pickerington Central)

LB Terrell Holcomb, Cincinnati (Gahanna Lincoln)

TE Michael Stevenson, Colgate (Bloom-Carroll)

HB Mikey Hess, Dayton (Newark Catholic)

WR Braylon Newcomb, Eastern Kentucky (Bellefontaine)

EDGE Keishaun Calhoun, Indiana (Groveport Madison)

WR Preston Bowman, Kentucky (Pickerington North)

QB Brennen Ward, Kentucky (Gahanna Lincoln)

WR Sherone White Jr., Marshall (Pickerington Central)

OL Ayden Annarino, Miami OH (Pickerington North)

EDGE Cal Thrush, Michigan State (Upper Arlington)

TE Tyler Kielmeyer, Northwestern (Westerville South)

S Jonathan Stevens Jr., Northwestern (Westerville North)

S Terris Dudley, NC State (Hilliard Bradley)

HB Kentrell Rinehart, NC State (Westland)

CB Tyson Long, Ohio (Pickerington North)

DL Ty Neubert, Ohio (St. Francis DeSales)

HB Michael Taylor, Ohio (Pickerington North)

DL Brandon Weaver, Ohio (Hilliard Darby)

OL Jake Cook, Ohio State (Westerville North)

ATH Bodpegn Miller, Ohio State (Ontario)

QB Tavien St. Clair, Ohio State (Bellefontaine)

LB Jake Lopinto (Licking Heights)

OL Jake Marzich, Penn (Olentangy Berlin)

LB Denim Cook, Pittsburgh (Bishop Hartley)

OL Parker Harden, Tennessee State (Pickerington Central)

CB Dawayne Galloway Jr., West Virginia (Marion-Franklin)

S Tyrell Russell, West Virginia (Beechcroft)

WR Emy Louis Jr., Youngstown State (Pickerington North)

OL Max Patterson, Youngstown State (Dublin Coffman)

S Preston Penn — Youngstown State (Gahanna Lincoln)

CB Jay Smith, Youngstown State (Gahanna Lincoln)

DL Justin Thomas, Youngstown State (Centennial)

DL Bilal Tucker, Youngstown State (Delaware Hayes)

WR Jackson Wiley, Youngstown State (Olentangy)

We’ve reached the neutral site portion of the tournament, which means we have an exciting Friday night of regional semifinal action. With 20 Central Ohio teams still in playoffs mode, we take a look at some of the top matchups we’ll be following tonight.

Division I, Region 3

 

#5 Upper Arlington (10-2) vs. #1 Olentangy Liberty (10-2)

 

Upper Arlington

Second Round: #4 Olentangy Orange 24-20

 

Olentangy Liberty

Second Round: #8 Groveport Madison 27-7

 

Fantastic 50 prediction: Olentangy Liberty -11

 

Upper Arlington knows everything about tonight’s game very well. This will be their fourth playoff game at Westerville Central’s Warhawk Stadium since 2020. They’re only 1-2 in those games, but the only win was a regional championship in 2021. The Golden Bears have returned to the semifinal in every year since, and only fell a few plays short of winning another regional title since. No one in Central Ohio has been on a better run this decade than the Golden Bears. Last week their defense once again terrorized a quality opponent, sending them into the winter sports season. And now, for the second year in a row, they face the number one seed in Region 3, a league opponent who they’ve played every year since the 2020 season.

 

Upper Arlington struggled to find answers against the Olentangy Liberty offense, led by Central District Offensive Player of the Year, Andrew Leonard. The Patriots jumped out to a 28-16 fourth quarter lead against Upper Arlington last month. They’ve lead every opponent by at least two scores at one point this season. They have arguably the best quarterback-receiver connection in Central Ohio with Leonard and breakout senior Christian Moulton. In two instances however, those leads weren’t enough and Olentangy Liberty’s offense wasn’t able to expand before a furious comeback was routed. In a game like this, the small wins mean everything. Winning the field position, time of possession, and turnover battles will be the difference as Upper Arlington looks to recapture the fourth quarter magic from their 15-0 run just a few weeks ago.

 

#7 Pickerington North (10-2) vs. #6 Olentangy Berlin (10-2)

 

Pickerington North

Second Round: #2 Pickerington Central 35-14

 

Olentangy Berlin

Second Round: #3 Gahanna Lincoln 17-14

 

Fantastic 50 prediction: Pickerington North -11

 

In many cases, celebrating a win with your students in the bleachers at your rivals’ new stadium twice in the same season, with the second occurrence ending their season in the playoffs is more than enough for a successful season. Pickerington North isn’t satisfied with their third consecutive win over Pickerington Central, and they certainly have bigger goals than returning to the regional semifinal. After a sobering loss at home to Gahanna Lincoln, the Panthers have dominated in their first two playoff wins, and now it’s time to right the wrong of last season, when they struggled to find anything offensively in a semifinal loss to Hilliard Bradley. Pickerington North is the lowest remaining seed in Region 3, but as offensive lineman Ayden Annarino told us on the sideline, don’t be fooled by the number 7 that sits next to Pickerington North’s name. Pickerington North’s riches of talent was on display when Preston Bowman took over the game. His coffin-corner punt led to a strip sack touchdown. Then he took two plays to the house—one one a short pass and another on a direct snap to put the game away. In the first matchup against Pickerington Central, it was Michael Taylor, whose record-setting all-purpose performance blew the game open in the second half.

 

Olentangy Berlin held on tight for a very on-brand 17-14 win over Gahanna Lincoln on the road. While Gahanna Lincoln ended the season shorthanded after Brennen Ward’s hand injury, the difficulty of beating Gahanna Lincoln in their place doesn’t change. Olentangy Berlin has already seen some of the best of what Central Ohio has to offer with wins over Olentangy and Olentangy Liberty. They also went on the road to see Olentangy Orange and Upper Arlington this season. Led by Aiden Eviston on offense, Olentangy Berlin will capitalize on opportunities whenever they see them, but the number one priority will be to limit the amount of time Pickerington North’s offense sees the field.

 

Division I, Region 2

 

#8 Wayne (7-5) vs. #5 Hilliard Davidson (8-4)

 

Hilliard Davidson

Second Round: #13 Hilliard Bradley 34-12

 

Wayne

Second Round: #1 Kettering Fairmont 20-10

 

Fantastic 50 prediction: Hilliard Davidson -9

 

After two rematches from the regular season, Hilliard Davidson shifts their attention to a new opponent for the first time this postseason. The Wildcats will face Wayne for a trip to the regional championship. This is Davidson’s deepest postseason run since 2018. They defeated this same program 28-21 in the first round back then. Today, they are led by quarterback Johnny DiBlasio and his favorite target Kaden Windham, a punishing running back in Keevin Gibbon, who runs behind a forceful offensive line, and a deep group of linebackers and safeties that include Hayden Buckley and Paul Knapke. Hilliard Davidson’s depth of returning starters has been a strength all season. It’s been awhile since they got here, but Hilliard Davidson has always prided themselves on building a program designed to win on the third Friday of November, and beyond.

 

Wayne is one of two GWOC teams who will face an OCC-Central opponent in Region 2 tonight. If not for early-season injuries, the Warriors would have likely fared much better than a 5-5 regular season. Wayne flashes some of the best talent out of the Dayton area with quarterback Tyrell Lewis and receivers Jamier Averette-Brown, Teaunn Hunter, and Gauge Miesse. The trio combined for nine receptions, 133 yards, and a touchdown. A shorthanded Fairmont team out gained Wayne by 90 yards in the ground game, but two interceptions and two long touchdown runs of 34 and 55 yards were enough for Wayne to end the number one seed’s season last week.

 

 

#14 Dublin Coffman (4-8) vs. #2 Centerville (9-3)

 

Dublin Coffman

Second Round: #6 Lebanon 56-20

 

Centerville

Second Round: #7 Springboro 14-7

 

Fantastic 50 prediction: Centerville -14

 

Quarterback Amari Valerio-Hudson has turned a great regular season into a stunning postseason. It would be unfair to the rest of the Dublin Coffman team to say he’s gotten them to this point by himself, but with 14 total touchdowns in the first two rounds, he’s certainly carrying more than just the weight of his shoulder pads this November. The Shamrocks’ 105 points in wins over Lebanon and Westland are the most among Central Ohio teams still playing for the regional title. The question heading into the Region 2 semifinal tonight is whether or not Valerio-Hudson can break out against what many believe to be the best defensive unit remaining in this bracket.

 

Centerville has only allowed 17 points per game in 12 contests. This includes a rough stretch to start the year, where they gave up 127 points in their first four games of the season. The Elks have a dangerous dual threat quarterback of their own in junior Shane Cole, and their linebacker group will be the key in trying to silence Valerio-Hudson. Centerville’s defense has been much improved since early in the year, and with a recent home-and-home series in 2022-23, there’s a lot familiarity between these programs. But this is Centerville’s first time preparing for Valerio-Hudson under his new role in the offense.

 

Division II, Region 7

 

#4 Ashland (7-5) vs. #1 Big Walnut (11-1)

 

Big Walnut

Second Round: #9 Massillon Perry 35-24

 

Ashland

Second Round: #5 Columbus St. Francis DeSales 27-14

 

Fantastic 50 prediction: Big Walnut -2

 

The beast that is Massillon Washington likely awaits the winner of this game, but it’s still one of the best regional semifinal matchups across all of Division II tonight. The Ashland Arrows and Big Walnut Eagles have both risen from the mats after 5-win regular seasons to combine for 23-1 records this season. Big Walnut’s underclassman talent already had us excited for the future in Sunbury, but that future came sooner than expected when running back Nolan Buirley, and quarterback Eli Stumpf among several others stepped into starting roles and turned in all-conference seasons. Nine underclassmen can be found on first and second teams for 2024, a testament to just how deep the program is right now.

 

From one OCC to another, Ashland’s program was everywhere in the Ohio Cardinal Conference awards. Junior quarterback Nathan Bernhard won Offensive Player of the Year with over 2,000 passing yards and 39 total touchdowns this season. Tyler Sauder, Carson O’Brien, and head coach Scott Valentine are also award winners in the conference. Big Walnut has seen some tough offenses this season with teams such as Bishop Watterson, Westerville North, and Westland, but there hasn’t been an offense ran by a quarterback of Bernhard’s caliber on the Eagles’ schedule so far this season. On the other hand, none of Ashland opponents present the same challenges that Big Walnut can bring. It’ll be interesting to see how both teams respond tonight.

 

Division III, Region 11

 

#4 Licking Valley (11-1) vs. #1 Bishop Watterson (12-0)

 

Bishop Watterson

Second Round: #8 Jackson 34-0

 

Licking Valley

Second Round: #5 Bloom-Carroll 29-17

 

Fantastic 50 prediction: Bishop Watterson -20

 

At this point of the season, it becomes a lot harder to find matchups in which we’ve seen both teams outside of Division I. Bishop Watterson and Licking Valley check that box Region 11. Licking Valley features Central District Defensive Player of the Year, defensive back Kam Walker who doubles as a threat in the passing game, and Quinn Hornfeck, another lengthy DB who can make plays on the ball. The Panthers will also rely on their senior running back Trenton Markus to set the tone on offense. Licking Valley won 9 regular season games, including a signature win over Granville that won them the LCL title for 2024. Their only loss came in week two, when West Muskingum beat them in overtime.

 

Bishop Watterson has been a buzzsaw to everyone on their schedule. They’ve shut down Division I teams, blown through other premiere Division III opponents, and demoralized their CCL rivals. The range of athletics from players like Drew Bellisari, Cal Mangini, Ben and Jake Uhlenhake, Zack Weber and really just about anyone else in Bishop Watterson’s rotation of players makes them two-dimensional and one of the deepest teams in the state of Ohio. We are still waiting to see if or when someone will present a challenge to the Eagles in this region. With each passing week, that answer continues to look like it will be a ‘no’.

 

Division IV, Region 14

 

#3 Ontario (11-1) vs. #2 Shelby (12-0)

 

Shelby

Second Round: #10 Ottawa-Glandorf 26-14

 

Ontario

Second Round: #6 Clyde 38-7

 

Fantastic 50 prediction: Shelby -4

 

For over a year, we’ve seen the greatness of Shelby quarterback Brayden DeVito through social media, and a few weeks ago, we finally saw it in-person as well. DeVito’s seven touchdown performance stamped himself in Mr. Football conversations—if he wasn’t there already. His efforts brought the outright MOAC title back to Shelby after a 50-36 shootout win over Ontario n week nine. Quarterback and future Ohio State wide receiver Bodpegn Miller had his own sensational performance, doing everything he could on the ground, in the air, in the secondary, and even on special teams to try to will Ontario to a win that night, but it wasn’t enough. The Warriors will get another crack at their MOAC rivals tonight, with so much more on the line in the postseason. While many are unsure of what either team presents as a challenge to the favorite in this region (Perkins), another great semifinal should be in store on this side of the bracket.

 

 

Division V, Region 19

 

#4 Harvest Prep (9-2) vs. #1 Ironton (11-1)

 

Harvest Prep

Second Round: #5 Columbus Academy 48-7

 

Ironton

Second Round: #8 Portsmouth 44-0

 

Fantastic 50 prediction: Ironton -20

 

History repeats itself in Region 19. For the second year in a row, we get a highly anticipated Harvest Prep-Ironton matchup in the regional semifinals. Just like last year, Ironton enters the game as heavy favorites. Harvest Prep never found another win that stacked up to their first one over Pickerington Central, a win that sent shockwaves through Columbus. Otherwise they would’ve earned themselves a higher seed. Last season, the Warriors used a rushing attack and key stops on defense to knock off the Ironton 20-14. This season they’ll look to do the same, but now have the added wrinkle of a passing threat in Collin Boff, and an even more polished Jamarcus Jones (Central District Defensive Player of the Year) at cornerback and receiver, who will be looking to make a game changing impact once again.

 

The gap between Ironton and the rest of Southern Ohio continues to be astonishing. The Fightin’ Tigers are consistently beating 8, 9, and 10 win teams by 40 points in that region. Their rivals Portsmouth got outscored 94-0 in a three-week span. Portsmouth was an 8-win team in Division V this year. Division III Jackson was dragged 51-14 by Ironton earlier this season, and 10-win Fairland was blanked 41-0. Still alive in this region is 14-seed Wheelersburg—another team that Ironton beat by 30. Harvest Prep is the last legitimate threat to Ironton until at least the state semifinals. They have one of the most dangerous players in Ohio High School football in Shaun Terry, who should be in high consideration for Mr. Football, and have plenty of athletes in the secondary, headlined with Penn State commit Joshua Johnson.