LEXINGTON — If a career in football doesn’t pan out, Cade Stover may want to consider becoming a filmmaker. Younger sister Gabby could be his cinematographer.
Lexington’s 6-foot-5 junior and a four-star recruit verbally committed to Ohio State via Twitter on Sunday. As of 8:30 Sunday evening, the true-to-his-farming-roots announcement video had been viewed more than 65,000 times in slightly more than three hours. It has already drawn the praise of Jeremy Darlow, a self-proclaimed brand consultant to athletes and the author of such books as Athletes are Brands Too and Brands Win Championships.
“I don’t think filmmaking is in my future,” Stover said with a laugh Sunday evening. “The video just kind of came to us. My younger sister Gabby shot it. She’s probably the one with the future in the movies.”
A sophomore and standout soccer and basketball player at Lex, Gabby wasn’t the only Stover sibling to get excited about big brother’s announcement.
“I have a younger sister, Tatum,” Cade said. “She’s 10 years old and she was easily the most excited in the family.
“Making the decision now, it’s a big weight off my shoulders that’s for sure.”
An All-Ohioan in both football and basketball, Stover has been on OSU’s recruiting radar since 2016. The Buckeyes offered him a scholarship late last March and Ohio State has long been considered the front-runner to land his services. Stover took his official visit to Columbus last weekend.
“I’ve known the coaches at Ohio State are the best in the country, but I really wanted to get a chance to spend time with the players there to see how I fit with them,” Stover said. “It’s a great group of guys they have down there.
“I actually told the coaches I was committing on my official visit, but I just waited a week to make the announcement public.”
Stover, who projects as a linebacker or defensive end, has led the area in tackles each of the past three seasons. He has a jaw-dropping 443 stops with his senior year still in front of him. He is rated the 130th overall player in the nation, according to the 247 composite. Stover was one of three commitments for the Buckeyes this weekend, including Texas receiver Garrett Wilson, a 5-star prospect, and three-star Maryland safety Bryson Shaw.
Stover becomes the first Mansfield-area player to pledge to the OSU football program since Jamario O’Neal verbally committed to Jim Tressel as a Mansfield Senior sophomore in 2003.
“He is one of the best players in the nation and he’s a tough son-of-a-gun, too,” Lex coach Taylor Gerhardt said. “He is big and he can run … and anyone who has played against him knows of his physicality.”
Lexington basketball coach Scott Hamilton agreed. Stover led the Minutemen to the Division II Final Four in March.
“Cade is a special player,” Hamilton said. “We all know he is a football guy, but he loves the game of basketball and we are very fortunate for that.”
Lex basketball fans have nothing to fear. Stover has no intention of graduating early in order to jump-start his college football career.
“No, I’m not going anywhere,” Stover said. “We’ve still got a state title in basketball to win.”
Rest assured his focus will be on the football field once he arrives on campus in 2019.
“Ohio State was always my favorite because it’s a great program and it’s close to home,” Stover said. “That was really important for me. I’m looking forward to being a Buckeye.”
