altgeld88
- Arlington, Virginia
I spent last week in Columbus where I grew up. On Thursday night met a HS friends for drinks. One of them runs a hair salon and, coincidentally, told me that she knows Fickell's mother, who does the same, and that he went to DeSales, which is one of two Catholic high schools in the north end of town where we grew up.
I'd forgotten that. Anyway, looked him up the next day. Phenom as a kid. His mom dropped him off at Watterson High School (the other Catholic HS, and in my immediate neighborhood) when he was 7 and his uncle coached wrestling there. Fickell was so big by that age that he sparred successfully with the wrestlers. He went on to become the greatest heavyweight wrestler in Ohio HS history, and had a track record of winning matches in under 90 seconds or so. I watched the video of his state-title winning match his senior year. Was 230, undefeated, and up against a guy 270 with one loss who was going to be a lineman at Michigan. The match was over in 50 seconds; his opponent was like a defenseless baby.
Fickell shows up at Ohio State the following August and John Cooper asks his assistant (who recruited him) what the hype is about because, although 6'5", he's only 230 and slow. Guy says "yeah; wait until we put the pads on." Fickell takes the starting nose guard spot within a week as a true freshman.
He's apparently as fierce a competitor as exists. It will be interesting to see how he deals with his current sitch.
