Byline: Associated Press
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Unlike his predecessor, Jim Tressel is apparently a fast finisher.
Tressel, hired Jan. 18 to replace the fired John Cooper as Ohio State's head coach, locked up 17 recruits Wednesday, the first day for the signing of national letters of intent to play Division I football.
''They all liked my big ring,'' said Tressel, who coached Youngstown State to four I-AA national championships in his 15 years. ''They all wanted to get a big ring here. I said that was the idea.''
A former Ohio State assistant under Earle Bruce, Tressel closed the deal on several highly touted prep stars in the final two days. He picked up the signature of Columbus Brookhaven running back Maurice Hall, who rushed for 3,057 yards and 51 touchdowns as a senior, Wednesday afternoon.
Tressel also grabbed Canton GlenOak defensive back Dustin Fox - whose brother Derek played at Penn State - in the final hours. Fox's uncles, Kenny Kuhn and Tim Fox, are former Ohio State standouts.
Before announcing his decision, Fox told the (Canton) Repository, ''Coach Tressel . . . what a great person. I would say he gained more ground in a month than any coach did in the entire recruiting season. If he had been there the whole time, there is no limit to how good this class would be.''
Tressel said two members of his first recruiting class had yet to meet NCAA academic requirements for incoming freshmen. Cooper lost six recruits one season.
Tressel said he was happy with whom he got and with how many players he got.
''I feel great about it,'' he said. ''In that first four or five days, I was hoping we might hit double-digits (in recruits). We were scrambling, no doubt about it.''
Text of fax box follows:
Ohio State signees
List of players who have signed with Ohio State University:
Redgie Arden LB 6-5 225 Ironton
Angelo Chattams WR 5-11 180 Dayton Chaminade-Julienne
Ryan Cook OL 6-7 295 Martinsville (Ind.)
Dustin Fox DB 6-0 190 Canton GlenOak
Simon Fraser DL 6-5 244 Upper Arlington
Chris Gamble WR 6-3 195 Ft. Lauderdale (Fla.) Dillard
Marcus Green DL 6-3 300 Louisville (Ky.) Male
Maurice Hall RB 5-10 189 Cols. Brookhaven
Ryan Hamby TE 6-4 245 Moeller
Mike Nugent PK 5-10 165 Centerville
Adam Olds OL 6-5 270 Dublin Coffman
JaJa Riley RB 6-2 190 San Diego (Calif.) Mission Bay
Lydell Ross RB 6-1 210 Tampa (Fla.) Gaither
Brandon Schnittker FB 6-3 240 Sandusky Perkins
Quinton Thomas DE 6-5 255 Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Dillard
Andree Tyree TE 6-3 280 London, Ohio
Chris Vance WR 6-2 190 Fort Scott (Kans.) CC
