It’s taken exactly one varsity season for Preston Fryzel to be rated among the best players in the state of Ohio for the class of 2026.
The 6-foot-4, 200-pound Central Catholic tight end received a three-star designation from 247Sports, which ranks Fryzel as the 31st-best player in Ohio and the No. 30 tight end in the country.
“He’s one of those athletes that can do anything,” Central Catholic coach Greg Dempsey said.
He’s not kidding. Fryzel projects as a college tight end, but he can play almost any position on the field, except offensive and defensive line.
Tight end. Wide receiver. Safety. Punter. Kicker. Long snapper.
“He could be a college punter,” Dempsey said. “He’s one of those kids that you’re jealous of. Stud pitcher. Stud first baseman. Great hitter. If he played basketball this year, he’d have been a starter. If he ran track, he’d be a great high jumper.”
The versatility is an asset and acts as a billboard marketing campaign for college coaches. Already, the sophomore has offers from Toledo, Louisville, UMass, Miami (Ohio), and Kent State. He has visited UT, Louisville, Miami, Purdue, Michigan State, and Cincinnati.
Fryzel will be on the camp circuit this summer, with definite stops at UT, Purdue, and Cincinnati.
“It’s really fun meeting all the coaches and getting a tour,” Fryzel said. “You watch football on TV and you don’t really get to see what it’s like being on the field or being at the practices. So you really get a different look of what it’s like.”
During Central’s state championship season, Fryzel caught 13 passes for 300 yards and two touchdowns.
Fitness 4 All, a Perrysburg gym, recently named Fryzel the athlete of the month. He is batting .353 for the Irish and has a 3.64 ERA.
By any metric, Central is one of the top football programs in the state. Dempsey wins big and produces Division I college players every season — Jaylen Watson, Marc Nave, Braden Awls, James Hudson, Michael Warren, DeShone Kizer, Keith Towbridge, Chris Boles, Zach Harmon, Dane Sanzenbacher. The talented roster breeds competition, turning Central’s practices into some of the best games in northwest Ohio.
“You’re around guys that are really good,” Fryzel said. “It helps me develop as a player. My freshman year, I was going against Braden Awls every day, and I was going against some of the other starters who play college football.”
When Fryzel isn’t practicing, he’s being coached by a former NFL wide receiver. Eric Page, a former UT All-American who spent three seasons in the NFL, has been Central’s wide receivers coach since 2021.
“Being around him every day is really cool,” Fryzel said. “He’s taught me a lot already and I still have two more years. He helps me a lot with the recruiting aspect of things.”
This is still considered the infancy of Fryzel’s recruitment, but it will speed up quickly in the coming months. His size, athleticism, and pedigree will make him a coveted prospect. His regional and national profile will almost inevitably rise considerably, beginning this summer and continuing in the fall.
Relationships are most important to Fryzel, who also values a school’s ability to put players in the NFL. In an era of flash, he is not one to put much stock in uniforms.
“Preston is a good prospect,” said 247Sports Midwest recruiting analyst Allen Trieu. “He has good size and has already been very productive at a good program. He has pass-catching skills and can move around a formation. I think, ultimately, he ends up being a hybrid tight end but can create mismatches.”
Opponents found out the hard way last year. And Fryzel has two more seasons tormenting the Detroit Catholic League and Ohio’s top Division III teams.
“He presents a lot of opportunities for an offense,” Dempsey said, “and a lot of problems for the defense.”
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