RIO Hires Football Coach

[Rebel Yell]

Is it true that Jack James is gonna wear those coaching shorts and be the ceremonial mascot for the first game?

[Old Shorts]

Is it true that Jack James is gonna wear those coaching shorts and be the ceremonial mascot for the first game?

Ole Rebel Yell, always in the know.

*circa* 1985

[MetalheadGamer87]

I'll wager the season doesn't complete whatever schedule Rio already have. No chance any D-1 talent goes there.

[greygoose]

This should be fun to watch. There's a lot of talent to pick from in about a 60 mile radius from Rio.

Here's the thing though......Rio is not likely going to recruit many local players. When Hocking College started up its football program, I assumed most of the top players in the region who did not go to a 4-year university would make up the majority of players. They do not. Players at Hocking actually come from all over the country.

If you look at the most recent roster, there was 1 player from Athens and 1 from Procterville. That is it for southeastern Ohio representation. There was a guy from Parkersburg and a couple from Pickerington. Those were the next closest players in geographical proximity to southeastern Ohio.


https://athletics.hocking.edu/sports/fb ... -24/roster

I would think early on you'll see a large portion of their roster coming from the southern ohio simply because they're just getting started. Now if they can get some things built show some signs then you'll see that roster start to swing a different direction. I believe right off the bat that Carson Free and Braylon Robertson from Paint Valley could very well end up there and you'll start to see more players like that, top players in the area that lack in certain areas to go elsewhere but are more than good enough for a Rio program just starting off.

[NYBuckeye96]

This should be fun to watch. There's a lot of talent to pick from in about a 60 mile radius from Rio.

Here's the thing though......Rio is not likely going to recruit many local players. When Hocking College started up its football program, I assumed most of the top players in the region who did not go to a 4-year university would make up the majority of players. They do not. Players at Hocking actually come from all over the country.

If you look at the most recent roster, there was 1 player from Athens and 1 from Procterville. That is it for southeastern Ohio representation. There was a guy from Parkersburg and a couple from Pickerington. Those were the next closest players in geographical proximity to southeastern Ohio.


https://athletics.hocking.edu/sports/fb ... -24/roster

I would think early on you'll see a large portion of their roster coming from the southern ohio simply because they're just getting started. Now if they can get some things built show some signs then you'll see that roster start to swing a different direction. I believe right off the bat that Carson Free and Braylon Robertson from Paint Valley could very well end up there and you'll start to see more players like that, top players in the area that lack in certain areas to go elsewhere but are more than good enough for a Rio program just starting off.

We'll see. Hocking College never had a local roster, even in its first year.