Canton McKinley senior Reggie Corner is following in his father’s footsteps by committing to play football on scholarship at the University of Akron.
The younger Corner, 17, is a 5-foot-10, 200-pound senior linebacker and safety.
“My dad went to Akron, so I always knew what it was about,” Corner said. “I went on a visit and I liked the school a lot.
“A big reason why I chose Akron is that it is close to home. My family can come watch me play in college. The coaches at Akron told me they can’t wait to have me on their team and that I am an amazing ballplayer.”
Corner has a 3.2 grade-point average and plans to major in business at UA. He earned three varsity letters and has starting experience from his freshman, sophomore and junior seasons. He also had offers from Rhode Island and Youngstown State.
Corner is the third McKinley senior that has committed to play football at a Division I college, joining Kadeem Trotter (Syracuse) and Dominique Robinson (Miami University).
The elder Reggie Corner, 32, starred in football at McKinley and at UA before embarking on a pro career in the NFL that included stints with the Buffalo Bills and Jacksonville Jaguars. The Bills selected Corner in the fourth round of the 2008 NFL Draft with the 114th overall pick. Corner played for the Bills from 2008-2011 and then joined the Jaguars in 2012, but a training camp injury ended his season and he became a free agent.
In 2005, the elder Corner helped the Zips win the Mid-American Conference East Division title and the MAC championship game. That UA team went onto play in the Motor City Bowl in Detroit.
More commitments
Nordonia football coach Jeff Fox said the following 2016 graduates are set to play college football:
• Isaiah Anderson (Charleston (W.Va.), OL).
• Justin Post (Thomas More (Ky.), QB).
• Tyler Soltis (Ohio Northern, DB).
• Alex Chrustic (Ohio Wesleyan, OL).
• Chuck Meriweather (Bethany (W.Va.), OL).
• Nate Goff (Thomas More (Ky.), DB).
• Stephen Tella (Westminster (Pa.), DE).
Michael Beaven can be reached at 330-996-3829 or mbeaven@thebeaconjournal.com.