Ohio High School Football Linebacker Luke Kelly

The six-foot, four-inch tall inside linebacker from Turpin High School in Cincinnati, Ohio, made it official at the end of June when he gave a verbal commit to Micami (Ohio). Weighing 210 pounds, the soon-to-be high school senior runs the forty in 4.65 seconds, the shuttle in 4.3 seconds, and can vertically jump 29 inches. He benches 350 pounds and squats 400 pounds. As a sophomore, he was a starter and earned All-City honors.

Off to Miami (Ohio)
On June 29, Luke Kelly gave his verbal commitment to Miami (Ohio) as member of their 2008 recruiting class. He told OhioVarsity.com that it wasn't just one part of the school or the football program that made him choose the school but a combination of several things. "The campus was incredible and the academics are pretty unbelievable," he told the web site. "They are going to be a really good football program in the future, and I'll have the chance to play early. They are going to be playing a lot of top teams... like Florida and Michigan, and my senior year there they will be playing Ohio State."

Other schools
Luke Kelly's other college choices also included Indiana, Wisconsin, Michigan State, and Cincinnati. In addition to Miami (Ohio), he received offers from Western Michigan, Kent State, and Akron. He was a popular choice amongst top programs looking to pick up a linebacker like Kelly. "Most of the MAC, Cincinnati, Michigan State, West Virginia, Indiana, Wisconsin and Nebraska all came in," he said to OhioVarsity.com. "There's probably been 25 schools that have come in -- sometimes three at one time. It's good to meet all those coaches."

Kent was the first school to give Kelly an offer. "Kent State came in ... and said they saw my highlight film and liked it," Kelly told OhioVarsity.com in May. "They offered me then. It's pretty sweet to have an early offer; maybe it will bring others in."

At the end of June, Luke Kelly attended the Michigan State football camp. He really liked the school, as he told SpartanMag.com before he gave a commitment to Miami (Ohio). "I really like Michigan State. You could say they would be my top school," he said. "I went to a junior day earlier this year and really liked it. I have been talking with (Ohio State) Coach (Jim) Tressel since my sophomore year. When I heard that (Michigan State) Coach (Mark) Dantonio and his staff were going to Michigan State, I was really excited."

Stats
As a sophomore, Kelly had 11 tackles, six sacks, and one interception. His junior season, he had 142 tackles, eight sacks, and one interception.