Southview lineman Ryan Stout commits to Cincinnati

Southview's junior offensive lineman Ryan Stout takes down Springfield's junior running back Elijah Todd.

As he prepares for his senior football season at Southview, lineman Ryan Stout is glad he can turn his complete focus toward helping lead the Cougars to a Northern Lakes League title.

That quest was made easier Tuesday night when the 6-foot-6, 260-pounder ended his college recruiting process by committing to the University of Cincinnati, where he is projected to be an offensive lineman.

This projection means that Stout -- a first-team Division I all-district defensive lineman in 2012 -- will take on a dual role this year at Southview.

Veteran Cougars coach Jim Mayzes said that Stout, who had 71 tackles and four sacks at defensive end last year, will double as an offensive left tackle this season.

“I definitely want to try and gain as much experience at the position as possible,” Stout said of adding the offensive tackle duties, “and learn everything I can. I look forward to playing on the offensive line.

“I love football because of the challenge, and the constant battling.”

As he enters his 20th season as Southview’s head coach, Mayzes said that Stout is the strongest player his program has ever had in the weight room, able to dead lift 575 pounds 11 times, and bench press 300 pounds for 10 repetitions.

“I think he’s lived up to the nickname, ‘Manchild,’ that we’ve called him for years,” Mayzes said. “He’s focused in the classroom, he’s focused on the field, and he’s focused in the weight room.

“He’s just going to be successful wherever he goes, and I’m glad he’s going to be a Bearcat.”

Coupling Stout’s weight-room numbers with a 4.8-second 40-yard-dash time, and a 3.83 grade-point average at Southview, is what made the Cougar standout an attractive package to several Division-I college programs.

Stout also had offers from Toledo, Bowling Green, Akron, Kent State, Miami (Ohio), and Western Michigan, plus Harvard and Yale from the Ivy League.

After working out for Cincinnati coaches on Monday, Stout received an immediate scholarship offer, and only took a little over 24 hours to decide.

“I loved the campus, they have a good engineering program, and I felt comfortable around the coaches,” Stout said of his attraction to Cincy.

“I’m going to try to go out with a bang and have a really good senior season, and help my team win as many games as possible. I’d like to make it to the playoffs.

“When I get to Cincinnati I’m going to try to pack on some weight as quickly as I can, and hopefully have a great college career there.”

Contact Steve Junga at: sjunga@theblade.com, or 419-724-6461 or on Twitter@JungaBlade.