University of Alabama, Ohio State University, University of Georgia, University of Michigan and University of Colorado, which is coached by none other than Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders. What do all these colleges have in common? They all want Avery Gach.

Gach – a junior at Wylie E. Groves High School – is one of the most sought-after football players in the country. He received his first Division 1 offers from the University of Toledo, Central Michigan University and then Ohio State University in the fall of 2022 and has since been offered over 20 scholarships from Power-5 schools as the list continues to grow. He’s the first student-athlete in Groves history, let alone district history, to receive such a significant number of offers.

Per the composite rankings from 247Sports, the six-foot-five, 275-pound prospect is slotted in as the 124th-best prospect, nationally, and the best offensive tackle in the state for the class of 2025. Gach is currently rated as a four-star recruit by 274Sports. 

Gach began his football career with the Birmingham Patriots as a seventh grader. He didn’t get a chance to play football when he was in eighth grade due to the global pandemic, so with only one season of football experience under his belt, he suited up for the freshman football team at Groves. He would last just a week with the ninth-grade squad before his talents were spotted by Falcons varsity football coach Brendan Flaherty.

As a freshman, Gach started as right tackle on the offensive line, which hasn’t been done at Groves in at least two-plus decades. He would become just the fourth freshman to start for Flaherty.

“It’s tough to play on the varsity offensive line as a freshman because of how physically demanding it is, but Avery is tough and strong,” the longtime Groves football coach said.

Over this past year, Gach has made several off-season unofficial visits to different schools such as Michigan State, Penn State and Ohio State.

“It’s all been surreal,” Gach said. “When I was on the field as a recruit at Ohio State, there were 105,000 people at the game.”

Gach has seen firsthand the competitiveness of college athletics and how different of a level it is in comparison to high school.

“These visits have just helped me to continue to stay focused, and to always be motivated to be the best I possibly can, so that I can be at that level,” Gach said.

Even though he is only about a year away from making an official decision on where he’s going to play after his senior year, it poses many questions. Where will he go? Where will his future take him? Will he choose Michigan State, especially with his dad being an alumni? Will he want to stay close home or spread his wings?

“A big Power-5 school, majoring in business with aspirations of the NFL,” is what Gach truly aspires for.

Only time will reveal the future of this rising high school recruit that every college coach is chasing after. For now, Gach remains focused on helping Groves win football games and potentially a state championship.