Trey DePriest

Springfield, Ohio, linebacker Trey DePriest will announce his college choice at 5 p.m. Friday at a Buffalo Wild Wings location in Springfield, according to his defensive coordinator/linebackers coach John Cupps.

The final decision for the 6-2, 230-pound DePriest is between Ohio State and Alabama. He is rated as Ohio’s No. 5 prospect in the updated Bucknuts 50 list. Nationally, he is rated as the nation’s No. 33 prospect by ESPN.com, No. 29 by Scout.com and No. 93 by Rivals.com. He has been selected to play in the Under Armour All-American Game on ESPN.

“I really have not talked to him too much about his choices,” Cupps said Tuesday afternoon. “Our job was to make sure he got where he wants to go.”

DePriest made a last unofficial visit to Ohio State on Friday. There, he met with head coach Jim Tressel and linebackers coach Luke Fickell.

He and his mother, Angela, then flew down to Alabama for a last look at the Tuscaloosa campus and to meet with coaches there. Angela DePriest was a guest on Monday’s edition of Bucknuts Front Row Radio. On the show, linked here, she discussed those visits and the decision process.

DePriest helped lead Springfield to a 6-5 record and a Division I playoff berth. He was a standout at linebacker and running back.

On defense, he had 101 tackles, seven sacks, 10 tackles-for-loss and three fumble recoveries. Offensively, he tallied 812 yards rushing and 13 touchdowns.

“A couple of things make him special,” Cupps said. “He is very intelligent and he picks up things fast. He understands the concepts of the game. He’s not one of those guys who just lines up and plays and doesn’t understand everything he needs to be doing. Trey really understands the game.

“He is also a hard worker. We have a little saying that goes, ‘We might be No. 1 but we work like we’re No. 2.’ He works on his lifting constantly through basketball and baseball season. He is a good team leader.

“For me as a coach, I’ve seen a lot of guys come through with all of the talent and zero work ethic. But he has all of the talent and also has an excellent work ethic. That bleeds through to the rest of the kids. He’s not as good as he wants to be and he knows that.”

DePriest has a 3.1 and has scored an 18 on the ACT.

As for the location of the announcement, Cupps said, "Trey likes eating at that BW3's and that's where he wanted to make the announcement."