DaytonDailyNews.com

COLUMBUS — Ohio State coaches found Chimdi Chekwa by accident. They were, instead, recruiting a receiver at his East Ridge High School in Clermont, Fla.

"They had a good high school team, and their coach kept saying, 'Hey, the best guy is this guy,' " said OSU coach Jim Tressel, referring to Chekwa. "They had one of their players commit early to a school, and then he kept saying, 'I'm telling you, this guy has got great character, great work ethic,' not that the other one didn't. So we kept following up."

So far, it has turned out well for both parties. Chekwa, a redshirt freshman defensive back, was named the Big Ten's defensive player of the week after recording 10 tackles in last Saturday's win against Purdue.

Wait, Chimdi who? Entering the season, most OSU fans recognized the names of the quick and physical Ohio State secondary: Malcolm Jenkins, Donald Washington, Kurt Coleman and Anderson Russell. Chekwa is listed as the backup at cornerback to Washington, a sophomore, and he totaled 11 tackles in the Buckeyes' first five games.

Against Purdue, he found another gear. Chekwa's emergence allows Ohio State flexibility in the secondary and displays the importance of scout-team play.

"Here he was, he redshirted last year, spent the whole year on scout team and chasing our guys around, trying to chase Teddy Ginn and Anthony Gonzalez and Roy Hall and Hartline and Robiskie and all those guys, and now he's playing in the Big Ten," Tressel said. "I'm not sure I would have predicted that a year ago, but he's a worker."

The Buckeyes name scout-team players of the week on offense, defense and special teams each week, but they are names that fans (and sometimes reporters) don't recognize. It can be a breeding ground for future playing time.

Last week, Wayne High School product Donnie Evege was the scout-team specialist of the week for the second time this season. The scout-team defensive player of the week needed some explanation.

"A young guy named Tom Ingham, a young guy from over at Centerville," Tressel said. "Centerville has sent us a lot of good products, and Tom did a good job on that defensive line and was actually nominated by the O linemen. They came in and pounded their fists on the table a little bit Sunday, which doesn't happen very often on behalf of a scout-team player."

Last year, that was Chekwa, although he didn't think he would end up at Ohio State. Many coaches, he said, couldn't even find his high school until a receiver named Richard Jackson caught their attention and eventually went to Notre Dame.

The East Ridge coach sold Chekwa hard to Ohio State coaches, and he was surprised when they began recruiting him.

"I didn't really take it that seriously," Chekwa said.

Now, everyone is taking Chekwa seriously.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-7389

or knagel@DaytonDailyNews.com.

Future stars?

Chimdi Chekwa went from scout-team stud to Big Ten defensive player of the week in one year. Here are scout-team standouts from this season whose names you could hear in the coming years:

Donnie Evege, Fr., DB: A two-time scout team specialist of the week, the Wayne product was ranked the seventh-best prospect in Ohio out of high school.

Dan Herron, Fr., RB: Overshadowed a bit by Brandon Saine, Herron has produced as a two-time scout team offensive player of the week.

Joe Gantz, So., RB: The 6-foot, 205-pounder from Wooster has been a scout offensive player of the week and special teams player of the week.

— Kyle Nagel