30 | OCTOBER 20 • 2022 

A

very Gach is only a sophomore 
in high school. But the 6-foot-
5, 265-pound Birmingham 
Groves lineman already has attracted 
the attention of big-time college football 
programs.
He’s made unofficial visits this 
season for games at Notre Dame, Ohio 
State, Toledo and Michigan to see the 
Irish play Marshall, the Buckeyes play 

Wisconsin, the Rockets play Central 
Michigan and the Wolverines play Penn 
State.
Why were they unofficial visits? 
Official visits can’t start until a football 
player’s junior year in high school and 
then, only five are allowed.
While Gach was at Ohio State, he 
held a Heisman Trophy won by former 
OSU star Archie Griffin, who won the 

Heisman Trophy twice and donated one 
to the university.
Gach has received scholarship offers 
from Ohio State, Boston College, Toledo 
and Central Michigan even though he’s 
two years away from making an official 
decision on where he’s going to college.
Last spring, Gach made off-season 
unofficial visits to Michigan and 
Michigan State. He was at Michigan 
again Saturday (Oct. 15) on an 
unofficial visit for the Wolverines’ game 
versus Penn State.
Not bad and pretty heady stuff for a 
young man who just turned 16 on Oct. 
8 and has been playing football for only 
three seasons.
“Yep, it’s all been surreal,” Gach said. 
“Here I was on the field as a recruit at 
Notre Dame and Ohio State. There were 
105,000 people at the Ohio State game.”
What has Gach learned from the 
game experiences and up-close looks at 
Division I football players?
“I need to keep working hard to get 
there,” he said. “Linemen are big and 
fast at that level. Ohio State’s right tackle 
on offense is 6-8, 350.”
While all the college recruiting has 
gone in, Gach has stayed laser-focused 
on his most important task at hand 
this fall … helping Groves win football 
games.
The Falcons were 4-3 overall and 4-2 
in the Oakland Activities Association 
White Division in mid-October as 
they have rebounded from their 
uncharacteristic 2-7 season in 2021 
that ended their streak of eight straight 

SPORTS

AMY GACH

Birmingham Groves lineman Avery Gach 
has been at Notre Dame, Ohio State, 
Toledo and Michigan football games 
this season as a recruit.

Sophomore 
Sensation 

STEVE STEIN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Avery Gach 
rocks a Michigan 
State football 
jersey during a 
recruiting visit in 
East Lansing.

AMY GACH

University of Michigan 
football coach Jim Harbaugh 
visits with Avery Gach.