Powers had 36 tackles for the Elks as a sophomore in 2021 and was Centerville’s third-leading tackler last season when he was credited with 78.
Listed at 6-foot-1, 200 pounds last season, he also had a sack among seven tackles for loss, broke up three passes and had 19 touches on offense (10 carries, nine catches).
“He just kind of bided his time,” Ullery said. “He got to play as a sophomore and he’s developing ... and you can kind of tell he was going to be something. You don’t really know back then in middle school how high they’re gonna go, but you could tell he was gonna be special from the get-go.”
Since the end of last season, colleges have started to notice.
Major colleges.
Powers has more than two dozen offers, including Michigan State, Boston College, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Virginia, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, Iowa State, Louisville and Northwestern.
Ohio State joined the fray in late March, something Powers confirmed hit different than the others for a kid from the Buckeye State.
“It means a lot,” he said. “It’s a little pressure, too, because you do get a lot of eyes on you when people are like, ‘Oh you got an Ohio State offer,’ but for me, I’m just trying to focus on me and keep working on what got me here. I hear a lot, but I also don’t hear a lot because people just tell you what you want to hear. I’ve just got to keep improving to get to where I want to be.”
Even with the prospect of becoming a future Buckeye at some point, Powers is taking his time to make sure he is happy with whatever his final decision turns out to be.
“It’s going well,” he said of his recruitment. “I’m still looking at all schools, considering everything. I’ve got some official visits scheduled, so I’m just looking forward to that and we’ll take it from there.”
He has two official visits set in stone — early June at Pitt and late June at Ohio State.
The Panthers are recruiting him to play their “Star” position, an outside linebacker/defensive back hybrid, while Ohio State projects him as the “Bandit” in the Buckeyes’ defense. That is the boundary safety, a player who figures to be play in the box at times.
“They’re two different positions, but in college I could play either position,” Power said. “I feel comfortable in both.”
Given that he is still only a junior in high school, Powers also knows he could grow into a full-time linebacker, but that’s something he’s not worried about.
“Maybe,” he said. “I’m 16-years-old, so not knowing how my body grows — if I move into linebacker, I do. Whatever will get me on the field for real.”
To be a Buckeye or not to be a Buckeye? For @OhioStateFB fans, that surely seems like a slam-dunk choice, but a pair of local prospects are finding out 1st-hand the difference between being a fan & being a recruit as they sort through their options https://t.co/IeXdjk9UNH
— Marcus Hartman (@marcushartman) May 3, 2023
Ullery said the increase in recruiting interest hasn’t changed Powers, something any coach hopes will be the case.
“He’s an awesome kid, and I think he knows he’s gifted,” Ullery said. “Physically and in football-wise, he’s a really great player, but it doesn’t affect how he prepares. Doesn’t affect his coachability at all. He’s super coachable, super humble. He just shows up and works, and if you tell him, ‘Hey, it’s not good enough today Reg,’ he’s like, ‘All right. Let’s keep working.’ And then he’ll respond.
“And I think that’s why you see the product that you see today is because he’s been so coachable by not only his dad (Reggie Powers II) — his dad does a phenomenal job with him — but his other coaches that have just done a great job developing him, working with him. And he’s just bought in 100%.”
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