Five northern Kentucky high school football players put ink to paper on National Signing Day on Wednesday, the first day for football players to sign their National Letter of Intent to their respective schools in Division I.
Highlands’ Max Merz is headed to Louisville, Ryle’s Jacob Savage is going west to Indiana, his teammate Dylan Lee is headed to the Patriot League at Colgate while Cooper’s Cam O’Hara is staying in state at Western Kentucky and Newport Central Catholic lineman William Sandfoss will take his talents to Marshall.
All five made their signings official on Wednesday with ceremonies already or to be held at different times.
Merz
Merz anchored the Bluebirds offensive line over the years and made his commitment to Louisville his junior year. The 6-foot-4, 310 pounder held offers from Toledo, Eastern Kentucky, Kent State, Marshall and Troy.
He was the No. 11 ranked prospect in the state according to 247 Sports state rankings and the No. 1 interior lineman in the state. Merz graded out as a three-star, according to 247.
He was recently selected to the Northern Kentucky Football Coaches Association first team.
Savage
Savage is the program’s all-time leading tackler and has tallied nearly 3,000 rushing yards in his high school career. He most recently won the Paul Hornung award for the state’s most outstanding football player.
Savage was a two-way starter at Ryle but projects to his defensive position in college. He is 6-foot-1, 220 pounds and rated three stars and No. 895 nationally by Rivals. He had Purdue, Indiana, Louisville, Georgia Tech, Northwestern, Michigan State and Minnesota as his finalists after fielding more than 15 Division I offers.
He tallied 509 career tackles for his career, 39 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, six interceptions, two fumble recoveries and two fumbles forced defensively. Offensively, he’s rushed for 2,835 yards, 54 rushing touchdowns, hauled in 63 receptions for 749 yards and 11 receiving touchdowns. He’s tallied 392 points in his four years in Union and led the team in tackles every season.
Lee
Lee was the primary receiver for the Raiders this season as he battled through injury and was also one of the top defensive backs on the team.
He chose Colgate over Penn.
As a junior, he caught 46 passes for 608 yards and seven touchdowns; he also ran for 77 yards and another score. He added 36 receptions for 669 yards and seven touchdowns his senior season.
What Lee’s done on offense shouldn’t overshadow his defense; he had 28 tackles and six interceptions, including one for a touchdown as a junior and added 18 tackles and four interceptions this year.
O’Hara
O’Hara’s named is etched all across Northern Kentucky passing records with his high school career and has his name near the top of some state passing records as well.
By the time he graduated, O’Hara’s name sat atop or near the top of nearly every major Northern Kentucky passing category, while also cementing himself among the best to ever play the position in the state of Kentucky.
O’Hara became the face of Cooper football during a remarkable three-year run that elevated the Jaguars into one of the state’s premier programs. He powered Cooper to back-to-back KHSAA Class 5A state championship game appearances in 2023 and 2024, turning the Jaguars’ offense into one of the most feared in Kentucky. He finished his career with 11,227 passing yards, 146 touchdown passes and 713 completions—ranking third all-time in KHSAA history in touchdown passes, sixth in passing yards, and ninth in completions.
His 2025 senior season saw him guide an 8–4 Cooper squad while throwing for 2,231 yards and 26 touchdowns against only five interceptions, plus three rushing scores. The year before, he delivered one of the greatest quarterback seasons in Northern Kentucky history—3,617 passing yards, 52 touchdowns, and just three interceptions—after a breakout sophomore year featuring 3,361 yards and 47 touchdowns.
A three-star prospect by 247Sports, Rivals and ESPN, O’Hara chose WKU over offers from Akron, Austin Peay, Bowling Green, Eastern Kentucky and several others.
Simply put, Cam O’Hara leaves Cooper as one of Northern Kentucky’s most prolific quarterbacks ever and a foundational piece in the Jaguars’ rise to statewide prominence.
Sandfoss (submitted by Marc Hardin)
Newport Central Catholic senior football player Will Sandfoss has signed with Marshall University. He made the commitment official Monday on The Hill with his parents alongside.
Sandfoss, a 6-foot-5, 280-pound offensive lineman, chose Marshall over other offers from schools such as Kent State, Ohio, Youngstown State, Georgia State, Dartmouth and Army.
Sandfoss said he was drawn to Marshall’s winning tradition and strong coaching staff. He likes the tight bond he felt in the offensive line room. He also senses a strong connection to the city of Huntington and is impressed by Marshall’s new business school. “It reminded me of my hometown,” Sandfoss said. “And I love to win, and that’s what Marshall does, no matter the conference.”
Sandfoss is a top-30 offensive tackle in Kentucky, according to 247Sports. He committed to Marshall in June, two days after visiting Kent State. Sandfoss visited Marshall May 28. He is a future business major.