Howland's Davis makes Penn State his early choice

The junior defensive back felt at home when he visited the Big Ten school.
& lt;a href=mailto:scalzo@vindy.com & gt;By JOE SCALZO & lt;/a & gt;
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
HOWLAND -- You can do the research. You can talk to your family, your friends and your coaches. You can compare schools and weigh the benefits of each.
But sometimes choosing a college comes down to a feeling. And for Howland High junior Tony Davis, choosing Penn State felt right.
"I just felt comfortable there," Davis said. "It felt like home."
Davis, a 5-foot, 11-inch, 180-pound defensive back, verbally committed to play cornerback for the Nittany Lions. He will make it official at a press conference on May 21.
"I liked the coaches and the school," he said. "It felt like a family."
Davis, a first team All-Metro Athletic Conference defensive back last season, made an unofficial visit a few weeks ago. He knew it was the right place, but said Howland coach Dick Angle told him to give it some thought before making it official.
"He wanted me to make sure that I was making the right decision," said Davis. "It's nice [to commit early] because now I don't have to worry about where I'm going to school. I can just play ball."
Good athlete
Davis, who is also a standout in track, said he received offers from several schools, including Michigan State, Wisconsin and Michigan. He benches 310 pounds, runs a 4.4-second 40-yard dash and carries a 2.5 grade point average, he said.
"I love playing corner," said Davis, who will major in marketing. "It's my favorite position on the field. I love shutting down the other team's best receiver."
Davis said Angle was a major influence in his choice. Howland went 9-4 this season, winning the first two playoff games in school history.
"He's brought a lot more people out," Davis said of the longtime Ursuline coach who has been at Howland the past five seasons. "Since we made the playoffs last year, a lot more people want to play."
He is the fourth area football player to commit early to a Big Ten school. Fitch receiver Miles Williams and Hubbard defensive back Shaun Lane committed to Ohio State and Liberty defensive back Bradley Fletcher committed to Iowa.
Davis is at least the fourth area athlete to play football at Penn State in the last decade.
John Gerek of Struthers played guard for the Lions before his NFL career with the Minnesota Vikings.
Sam Crenshaw (Rayen School) was a wide receiver at Penn State and Isaac Smolko (Springfield) is a tight end there.
Other news
The Ohio Football Recruiting News has four local players ranked among the top 11 juniors in the state.
Ursuline offensive lineman Brandon Braxton (6-6, 300) was ranked No. 4 and said he has received offers from Ohio State, Michigan and Pitt.
Lane (5-11, 175) was ranked ninth and Williams (6-3, 205) was 10th.
Warren Harding running back Delbert Ferguson (6-1, 215) was ranked 11th. Ferguson transferred from Ursuline after last season.
Ursuline quarterback Daryll Clark (6-1, 200) was ranked 33rd, the only other area player in the top 40. Cleveland Glenville defensive back Tedd Ginn was the state's top-ranked prospect.
Quarterback Alex Engram, who transferred to Harding from Irving (Texas) McArthur High this off-season, was listed as a prospect to watch.
The magazines other top prospects include Harding's Richard Davis (running back), Jonte' Stroud (linebacker), Phil McNeal (defensive line) and Anthony Hoke (linebacker), Ursuline's Walt Lacey (wideout) and Juan Vega (defensive line), Mooney's Ron Stoops (defensive back), Liberty's DeShawn Crenshaw (defensive back/linebacker) and Poland's Dan McGarry (tight end).