Future is bright for Ball

Elijah Ball, undoubtedly one of Ohio's best in the 2015 class, has decided to continue his career in his home state as he has committed to the Ohio Bobcats. The 6-foot-1, 178-pound wide receiver out of Cincinnati (Ohio)'s Princeton high school chose Ohio University over offers from Cincinnati, Temple, Connecticut, and Kent State, among others. Ball is ecstatic to have made his choice and is ready to start his career as a Bobcat student-athlete.

"The campus and the major at [Ohio University] are definitely what stood out for me. Those are two of the things that I was really concerned about, about any school. I feel like they have a great campus that I can really get used to and the people up there are great," Ball explained. "My major and the academics are really good as well. It's not just that though, it's the coaching staff up there. I feel like I was just really comfortable with those coaches. They're my favorite staff out of all the coaching staffs I worked with and was recruited by."

Ball chose OU out of nearly a dozen offers, including in-state programs like Cincinnati, Kent State, Akron, and Bowling Green. Did the senior standout feel any pull towards staying in the Buckeye state?

"[Distance] definitely played a bit of a role. I think my mom drove me crazy a little bit, because she wanted me to be right down the road," Ball laughed. "It definitely was a factor. I don't think it was too much of one though, because the school itself is more important than its relevance to where I live. If the schools is good enough and I felt at home, then no matter where it is, I could be there."

Ultimately, Ball's greatest focus was not on distance, but on maximizing the opportunities afforded to him, both on the classroom and on the field. With an ambitious plan of pursuing a master's degree in engineering while also meeting the prodigious requirements of a Division I college athlete, Ball wants to make sure he can prioritize his academic and athletic careers in his first year on campus. In order to do that, he wants to give himself the chance to properly develop in both regards.

"I personally plan on redshirting my freshman year," said Ball. "I want to have that extra year and a little bit of extra time to work on my masters and to make sure that I can be the best player that I can be for those four full years, as opposed to maybe having a rough freshman year coming in. I just want to be as best prepared as I can be."

Many prospects will feel the pressure to get a starting job as a freshman and can worry themselves sick with achieving their wildest aspirations, instead of being the best individual that they can be. Ball understand that his legacy will not be about who got on the field first, but about who best maximized his time there. And that lesson extend past the field and into the classroom and beyond.

"I definitely just want to be the best that I can be. Like I said, education is the most important thing to me, so I want to have my degree. I want to work as hard as I possibly can on the field too. Anything I can do to help the team the best that I can," Ball said. "I feel like I can become a leader of the team and bring some wins back home and win a MAC championship or whatever the deal is in front of us. I want to be there and be another strong link to the chain."

Ohio University will be getting a fantastic football player in Ball, who can stretch the field as a vertical threat due to his size and speed, while also having the hands and route-running ability to work in a possession receiver capacity across the middle. With the proper coaching and development, there is little Ball won't bring to the table as a receiver. However, more importantly than that, the Bobcats are getting a stellar young man with an impressive work ethic who has achieved at the highest level in the classroom. The future is bright for Elijah Ball.