Christopher Worley: 2013 Ohio State football player profiles

In every recruiting class, there's one guy that, once it all is said and done, is known for his anonymity. If there's a recruitment that could be defined as straightforward and no-nonsense, it would be Christopher Worley's to Ohio State. Worley comes from a high school that has long been prime Buckeye recruiting real estate, and hopefully, he can continue to carry the flag that prominent Buckeyes like Ted Ginn, Jr., and Troy Smith helped to firmly plant.

Vitals:

Ht: 6'3"

Wt: 195

40:

High School: Glenville (Cleveland, OH)

Origin Story:

Although Christopher Worley is one of the state of Ohio's top prospects (247Composite rankings had him as the 28th ranked athlete overall and the 28th ranked recruit from the state of Ohio), he never really blew up like Trey Johnson, or came out of nowhere, like Mike Mitchell. Worley was always just there, right on the periphery of good prospects, doing his work and methodically building his profile. Although his talent is there, Worley never really climbed into the elite level of prospects, and because of that, his recruiting profile stayed relatively off the dar, particularly for this day and age.

He attended an OSU Nike Football Training Camp, and between his junior and senior year offers started coming in. It wasn't really an avalanche, but it was a steady stream of interest from both mid level and major schools – Bowling Green was first, then West Virginia, Illinois, and Ohio State all came in quick succession in April of 2012. Although Worley said repeatedly that the Buckeyes were one of his favorites, he took his time and waited until the weekend of his official visit the following January to commit. However, much like Donovan Munger's own recruiting story, Florida State jumped in late, and tried to get Worley to flip to them after he had committed to Ohio State. Their late push failed, however, and the Glenville pipeline to Ohio State remained wide open.

For whatever reason, Worley is a kid that didn't get a lot of play in the recruiting world. Maybe it was because he was a heavy OSU lean since his junior year. Maybe it's because he comes from an OSU pipeline. Maybe it's because he was a good prospect but not really anyone's #1 guy. Maybe it's because he's not a 'look at me' guy, or maybe it's a combination of those and other factors. But the bottom line is that as soon as Worley started getting noticed, Ohio State rolled in with an offer, and Worley eventually committed to the school essentially everyone thought he would. The lack of drama is OSU's gain and Worley stands to be the kind of prospect who could pay dividends for the piranhas almost right away.

2013 Prospectus:

Worley is an intriguing guy; his strongest position is linebacker, but he's also a very good safety, playing both positions his junior and senior years. Right now, his size probably projects to safety at the FBS level, but like Cie Grant did not so long ago, I can see him putting on 20-25 pounds and moving to the Sam or Will linebacker position.

However, more than one person sees Worley as potentially a perfect fit for the 'Star' position on OSU's defense – a linebacker/safety hybrid that helps to slow and counter the spread offense, a system that's really taken hold in the Big Ten (and college football wide) the last few years. It requires a unique combination of size and speed, with an ability to not only tackle in space, but to cover short and intermediate routes.

And Worley has that skillset potential. Right now, it looks like Tyvis Powell or Devin Bogard are the prime guys for the Star position. It will be difficult for Worley to crack the starting lineup this year, simply because there is too much talent ahead of him right now. But when you look at him on film, you see the potential is there as a possible perfect fit for the 'Star': he's a big hitter, he's fast enough to cover a back or tight end downfield, and his speed allows him to really cover the flat well, making him a strong candidate for the role.

I just don't see it happening in 2013. There's been a serious talent infusion in both the secondary and at linebacker the last two recruiting classes, and it would seem that Worley will be buried on the depth chart come fall camp, regardless of where the coaching staff eventually puts him. He still looks like he could be a prime candidate for special teams, and maybe see some work on the second or third team, but I don't project Worley as a major contributor in 2013.

Highlight Jam Session:

One Of These Things Is Blatantly False:

• Christopher plans to major in business management or communications
• He returned five interceptions for touchdowns as a senior
• The Star position has been somewhat monopolized by former Glenville players at Ohio State, particularly with Christian Bryant getting plenty of run there
• Christopher has played in Ohio Stadium before, with his Glenville team
• Christopher seriously considered the late Florida State offer