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College Football Recruiting | Dante McClellan narrows choices; Nolan Davenport at 20 offers

peter holland jr., canton repository
·4 min read

It remains to be seen how much college interest will be generated by Stark County high school football's Class of 2025. But the early top recruiting prospects in the class do carry some weight.

Massillon offensive tackle Nolan Davenport leads the way for a group of talented area linemen getting attention from colleges. He's one of two highly recruited prospects in this class, with versatile McKinley star Dante McClellan being the other one.

Massillon offensive tackle Nolan Davenport warms up before a playoff game against Lake, Friday, Nov. 10, 2023.
Massillon offensive tackle Nolan Davenport warms up before a playoff game against Lake, Friday, Nov. 10, 2023.

Here is the latest college football recruiting news in Stark County, starting off with McClellan and Davenport.

Canton McKinley football's Dante McClellan is considering six Power 5 schools

McKinley’s Dante McClellan tackles Massillon’s Ja’Meir Gamble on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023.
McKinley’s Dante McClellan tackles Massillon’s Ja’Meir Gamble on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023.

McClellan, who carries 18 Division I offers, has narrowed it down to six, confirmed by The Canton Repository. The top six schools he is considering are Tennessee, Kentucky, Southern California, West Virginia, Pittsburgh and Louisville.

The four-star prospect plans to make his official visits to each of the six schools sometime in the spring and summer, hoping to commit before his senior season at McKinley.

In back-to-back seasons, McClellan has impacted both sides of the field. Last year at linebacker, he made second-team All-Ohio after producing 75 total tackles, 13 tackles for loss, four sacks, an interception and a forced fumble. He caught 32 passes for 518 yards and two touchdowns as a receiver.

McClellan is ranked No. 10 in the state according to Rivals, and he is ranked No. 21 according to 247 Sports.

Massillon Tigers football lineman Nolan Davenport represents the big men in 2025 class

Massillon offensive tackle Nolan Davenport (61) gets loose ahead of a playoff game against Lake, Friday, Nov. 10, 2023.
Massillon offensive tackle Nolan Davenport (61) gets loose ahead of a playoff game against Lake, Friday, Nov. 10, 2023.

The 2025 class belongs to the big men up front. Standing in front of the line is the 6-foot-6, 270-pound Davenport. In one season at left tackle, Davenport flourished as one of the top offensive linemen in the state after earning second-team All-Ohio and helping the Tigers win a state championship.

Davenport had almost a dozen Division I offers right out the gate when he was a blocking tight end as a sophomore. He now has 20 offers and likely has more on the way before he plans on making his unofficial visits. Davenport has offers from the ACC (Duke, Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh, Boston College), SEC (Kentucky, Vanderbilt) and Big 12 (West Virginia, Cincinnati). He picked up Big 10 offers from Purdue and Indiana.

Davenport is not the only area lineman getting recruited. Here's three others to watch:

Jack Hopkins, left of Central Catholic celebrates his touchdown with Jonathan Stangl, right, during their game against St. Thomas at Central Catholic on Thursday, Oct. 20, 2022. Stangl honored Jacob Brown by writing, "Fly High Jake" on his taped arm. Brown lost his life in an automobile accident Sunday.
Jack Hopkins, left of Central Catholic celebrates his touchdown with Jonathan Stangl, right, during their game against St. Thomas at Central Catholic on Thursday, Oct. 20, 2022. Stangl honored Jacob Brown by writing, "Fly High Jake" on his taped arm. Brown lost his life in an automobile accident Sunday.

  • Another Tiger, Jaezen Lewis carried seven offers before transferring to Massillon last season. The 6-6, 375-pounds Lewis started at right tackle for the Tigers.

  • At Central Catholic, Jonathan Stangl (6-8, 305) picked up a pair of MAC offers (Ball State, Kent State) last offseason. He also landed an offer from Bowling Green on Wednesday. Stangl started at both left and right tackle as a two-year starter and made second-team All-Ohio as a junior.

  • At McKinley, Dior Garner became a two-way starter for the Bulldogs in his junior year. Offered by Bowling Green, Garner started at nose tackle on defense and left tackle on offense.

McKinley's Dior Garner brings down Avon's Jakorion Caffey in the third quarter, Friday, Aug. 25, 2023.
McKinley's Dior Garner brings down Avon's Jakorion Caffey in the third quarter, Friday, Aug. 25, 2023.

More: Former Alliance, Michigan QB Chris Zurbrugg confident as son Brendan enrolls with Oklahoma

Other top Division I college football prospects in Stark County's Class of 2025

Charlie Christopher, Lake

Linebacker, 6-foot-1, 225 pounds

Christopher is on the radar in the MAC. The Ohio Bobcats recently offered the All-Ohio middle linebacker. Other MAC schools recruiting him are Bowling Green, Ball State, and Miami. Christopher is Lake's leading tackler, totaling 128 last fall. He also added 15 tackles for loss, two interceptions and three pass breakups.

More college football recruiting: 'He's electric': Poochie Snyder signs with Sacred Heart | Did MAC miss the boat. Former NFL QB thinks so

Massillon's Tyler Hackenbracht crosses the goal line after intercepting a Westerville South pass and returning it for a touchdown during a playoff game against Westerville South, Friday, Nov. 3, 2023 as Paul Brown Stadium.
Massillon's Tyler Hackenbracht crosses the goal line after intercepting a Westerville South pass and returning it for a touchdown during a playoff game against Westerville South, Friday, Nov. 3, 2023 as Paul Brown Stadium.

Tyler Hackenbracht, Massillon

Safety, 6-1, 198

The Toledo recruit started 14 games and recorded 36 tackles, 11 pass breakups and three interceptions. Bowling Green also offered the starting safety.

More college football recruiting: Massillon's Tyler Hackenbracht to Toledo, DaOne Owens to Slippery Rock

More Massillon football: Jon Mazur resigns as o-line coach; National recognition for head coach Nate Moore

Nino Hill, Canton McKinley

Running back, 6-0, 215

McKinley's Nino Hill runs for a first down in the first half against Green, Friday, Sept. 15, 2023, in Canton.
McKinley's Nino Hill runs for a first down in the first half against Green, Friday, Sept. 15, 2023, in Canton.

Hill was 72 yards shy of a 1,000-yard season in back-to-back years. He also averaged 6.8 yards a carry with seven rushing touchdowns. The year before that, he rushed for 1,100 yards. Hill currently has four offers, including three from the MAC (Kent State, Miami, Toledo).

This article originally appeared on The Repository: McKinley football's Dante McClellan picks his top 6 colleges