Published: Friday, 2/20/2015 – Updated: 27 seconds ago BY DAVID BRIGGSBLADE SPORTS WRITER INDIANAPOLIS — Blood has a funny way of shifting loyalties. Growing up in Monclova, former Iowa offensive tackle Andrew Donnal was an Ohio State diehard fan in a house full of them. The family attended football games in Columbus while their basement doubled as a scarlet-and-gray shrine to the Buckeyes. Yet, when Ohio State won the national title last month, the Donnal home remained strangely quiet. “My family grew out of the Buckeye thing a little bit,” Andrew said. “I screwed that up going to Iowa and my younger brother, Mark, really stuck the dagger in going to play [basketball] at Michigan. We broke all ties to Ohio State.” Soon, the Donnals will adopt yet another team. Andrew, an Anthony Wayne graduate, is among the 323 dreamers looking to prove he is NFL-ready at this week’s scouting combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Donnal played in the shadow of Hawkeyes All-American left tackle Brandon Scherff — a likely first-round pick in the draft. The two are close friends and spent the last few months together preparing for the draft. “He’s the one who’s been pushing me this whole offseason,” Scherff said, “working sets, watching film, everything.” Yet the 6-foot-6, 312-pound Donnal proved a steadying bookend in his own right. He returned strong from a torn ACL late in the 2012 season, starting all 13 games for a program that exports as many pro linemen as its state does corn. He is seen as a late-round selection. …
Continue Reading: NFL combine notebook: Anthony Wayne grad switched allegiances
