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End is sculpting his NFL potential
Jason Lloyd Journal Register News Service
11/15/2007
Gholston, he of chiseled body, is on fast track to pros
COLUMBUS - It might be difficult for some Michigan players to cross the southern border and play for Ohio State, but not Vernon Gholston. After all, Gholston didn't know much about football at all until his sophomore year of high school.
Ohio State recruited Gholston out of Cass Technical High School in inner-city Detroit. His body is so sculpted, it looks like he's been working on it his entire life for this opportunity. Truth is, his high school coach, former Michigan player Thomas Wilcher, began recruiting him out of the school hallway during his freshman year.
"He saw me walking in the hall and thought I was a parent or somebody just visiting the school," Gholston said. "I told him, 'No, I go here.' It was a shock to him."
Gholston has evolved into one of the top defensive ends in the country. Gholston's four sacks two weeks ago against Wisconsin vaulted him to third in the Big Ten with 10 sacks for the year. With a bench press of 475 pounds, he is probably the strongest player on the team.
"He looks like a bodybuilder and he runs like a sprinter," said right tackle Kirk Barton, who has seen plenty of Gholston in practice. "That's why he gives so many tackles trouble. He has two really good moves that are hard to block no matter who you are. ... He's so strong that if you try and put an arm on him, he might break your arm chopping it down."
Mel Kiper Jr. has called Gholston a first-round possibility if he skips his senior year and heads to the NFL. That is becoming more of a possibility with each passing day, although Gholston isn't ready to talk about his future beyond this year. "You feel honored guys think you can play at the next level," he said. "But for the most part, my head is here."
The fact Gholston is here at all is an amazing tale of a diamond in the rough. As a freshman, when Wilcher first spotted him, Gholston said he was about 6-foot-2 and 205 pounds. He became fascinated with bodybuilding and working out before he was a teenager, buying fitness magazines and working out in his basement. His only weights were a few 6-pound dumbbells, so he just did pushups, pull-ups and dips.
"I was pretty big. I had my cut-up arms back then," he said.
Gholston's first season of football was his sophomore year of high school. Back then, dreams of a college scholarship or pro career seemed far-fetched - he barely knew what his responsibilities were as an offensive lineman and a defensive end.
"My first practice, I'd never really watched football or been around it, so I didn't even know what the positions were or where people were supposed to go," he said. "It was a big blur of people in my way when I first started."
It didn't take him long to catch on. By the end of that year, Gholston had pushed around enough people to catch the eye of college scouts. It didn't take long for Ohio State to offer, as well as Michigan. Jim Tressel's first recollection of Gholston came during a youth camp.
"For his size, his explosion and his movement, it was a no-brainer," Tressel said. "There was no doubt about it athletically, plus he's a humble, respectful kid and he's bright. He brought all the things to the table with that great athletic ability, and I think he'll do nothing but get better.
"I think he's going to be a steal down the road for the next level."
Gholston is one of three Michigan natives on Ohio State's roster, joining sophomore defensive back Aaron Gant and freshman receiver Taurean Washington. Gant's biggest role comes on special teams, while Washington played early, but has fallen out of the rotation as the rest of the receivers got healthy.
That leaves Gholston, who will be paired at times with Michigan's standout left tackle Jake Long.
Gholston said Michigan offered him a scholarship, but he fell in love with Ohio State and Tressel. Perhaps it's because of his hulking size, but he said friends and family don't give him a hard time about choosing Ohio State over Michigan.
"Everybody's happy for me," Gholston said. "I'm one of the first guys to actually get a chance to go to college from my family. That was a big factor in itself. Playing football at a big-time school was also big.
"It was more of me going to a school that was great for me. Ohio State was it. My attitude is with Ohio State, and I bleed scarlet and gray now."
Jason Lloyd Journal Register News Service
11/15/2007
Gholston, he of chiseled body, is on fast track to pros
COLUMBUS - It might be difficult for some Michigan players to cross the southern border and play for Ohio State, but not Vernon Gholston. After all, Gholston didn't know much about football at all until his sophomore year of high school.
Ohio State recruited Gholston out of Cass Technical High School in inner-city Detroit. His body is so sculpted, it looks like he's been working on it his entire life for this opportunity. Truth is, his high school coach, former Michigan player Thomas Wilcher, began recruiting him out of the school hallway during his freshman year.
"He saw me walking in the hall and thought I was a parent or somebody just visiting the school," Gholston said. "I told him, 'No, I go here.' It was a shock to him."
Gholston has evolved into one of the top defensive ends in the country. Gholston's four sacks two weeks ago against Wisconsin vaulted him to third in the Big Ten with 10 sacks for the year. With a bench press of 475 pounds, he is probably the strongest player on the team.
"He looks like a bodybuilder and he runs like a sprinter," said right tackle Kirk Barton, who has seen plenty of Gholston in practice. "That's why he gives so many tackles trouble. He has two really good moves that are hard to block no matter who you are. ... He's so strong that if you try and put an arm on him, he might break your arm chopping it down."
Mel Kiper Jr. has called Gholston a first-round possibility if he skips his senior year and heads to the NFL. That is becoming more of a possibility with each passing day, although Gholston isn't ready to talk about his future beyond this year. "You feel honored guys think you can play at the next level," he said. "But for the most part, my head is here."
The fact Gholston is here at all is an amazing tale of a diamond in the rough. As a freshman, when Wilcher first spotted him, Gholston said he was about 6-foot-2 and 205 pounds. He became fascinated with bodybuilding and working out before he was a teenager, buying fitness magazines and working out in his basement. His only weights were a few 6-pound dumbbells, so he just did pushups, pull-ups and dips.
"I was pretty big. I had my cut-up arms back then," he said.
Gholston's first season of football was his sophomore year of high school. Back then, dreams of a college scholarship or pro career seemed far-fetched - he barely knew what his responsibilities were as an offensive lineman and a defensive end.
"My first practice, I'd never really watched football or been around it, so I didn't even know what the positions were or where people were supposed to go," he said. "It was a big blur of people in my way when I first started."
It didn't take him long to catch on. By the end of that year, Gholston had pushed around enough people to catch the eye of college scouts. It didn't take long for Ohio State to offer, as well as Michigan. Jim Tressel's first recollection of Gholston came during a youth camp.
"For his size, his explosion and his movement, it was a no-brainer," Tressel said. "There was no doubt about it athletically, plus he's a humble, respectful kid and he's bright. He brought all the things to the table with that great athletic ability, and I think he'll do nothing but get better.
"I think he's going to be a steal down the road for the next level."
Gholston is one of three Michigan natives on Ohio State's roster, joining sophomore defensive back Aaron Gant and freshman receiver Taurean Washington. Gant's biggest role comes on special teams, while Washington played early, but has fallen out of the rotation as the rest of the receivers got healthy.
That leaves Gholston, who will be paired at times with Michigan's standout left tackle Jake Long.
Gholston said Michigan offered him a scholarship, but he fell in love with Ohio State and Tressel. Perhaps it's because of his hulking size, but he said friends and family don't give him a hard time about choosing Ohio State over Michigan.
"Everybody's happy for me," Gholston said. "I'm one of the first guys to actually get a chance to go to college from my family. That was a big factor in itself. Playing football at a big-time school was also big.
"It was more of me going to a school that was great for me. Ohio State was it. My attitude is with Ohio State, and I bleed scarlet and gray now."