POWELL, Ohio -- Edward Warinner is either going to wear a Nike sweatshirt or Olentangy Liberty blue to his unofficial visit to Oklahoma on Saturday. Easy decision.

"That's not the hard part," Edward told cleveland.com. "The hardest part of this isn't what I'm going to wear, it's going to be sitting in the (Oklahoma) section, and if Ohio State does something really well, it's going to be hard for me to keep my cool.

"I think it would be kind of bush league if there's that one kid in the section screaming. ... But I want Ohio State to win."

You've probably already gathered why Saturday is going to be weird for Edward, but if not, here's a quick explanation:

Edward's father is Ohio State offensive coordinator Ed Warinner, who is under an immense amount of pressure this week as he prepares the Buckeyes for their pivotal nonconference matchup with Oklahoma.

Edward is a three-star prospect at Powell (Ohio) Olentangy Liberty who has been invited by Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops to be an unofficial visitor this weekend. So while Warinner is up in the box dialing up Ohio State's offensive plays, his son is going to be sitting somewhere in an Oklahoma section being recruited by the Sooners staff. Awkward.

But this day is vitally important for the Warinner household for two reasons:

1. This is another huge opportunity for Warinner to prove he's an elite-level offensive coordinator by leading Ohio State to a road victory over Oklahoma. A win would solidify Ohio State as a permanent fixture in the College Football Playoff race and make Warinner an even more attractive candidate for head coaching positions come December.

2. Edward could be on the verge of taking the next step in his recruitment. Oklahoma is a top-tier college football program, and this visit may be the one that paves the way for more high-end programs getting involved.

Warinner can call plays and not worry about anything else. He knows Edward is going to be in good hands.

"I won't be involved in the visit at all, but it's a big deal for Edward," Warinner told cleveland.com. "I've known Bob Stoops for 25 or 30 years. We're very good friends. The linebacker coach at Oklahoma worked with me at Army for seven years, he was my next door neighbor. And I know the recruiting coordinator. They are taking a serious look at him.

Urban Meyer, left, and Ed Warinner on the sideline during an Ohio State's win over Northern Illinois last September. Warinner's son, Edward, is unofficially visiting Oklahoma for the Sooners' big-time matchup with the Buckeyes on Saturday.

"They knew we were coming in for the game obviously to play, so that's just between my son and my wife when they go down there. But the other Big Ten schools, we obviously play all the Big Ten schools who are going to recruit him, so he's going to be visiting those places, too. This is going to be fairly regular."

Rated the No. 50 linebacker in the 2018 class in the 247Sports composite rankings, Edward has offers from Army, Colorado State, Rutgers and a collection of Mid-American Conference programs. The Big Ten is starting to come hard, too. So is Notre Dame.

A lot of the programs recruiting Edward are popping up on Ohio State's schedule. This situation is going to happen again at Michigan State on Nov. 19 when the Spartans host the Buckeyes. Both Warinners are going.

"All this just shows how I've developed and it shows that (elite programs) think I'm a good football player and I do good things on the field," Edward said. "That's the highest honor you could get, that's all you could want."

Edward really wants offers. Though he has earned interest from some top-level schools, Oklahoma, Notre Dame, Michigan State and Ohio State have yet to offer him a scholarship.

But there are plenty of eyes on Edward, especially at Ohio State. He unofficially visits Ohio State regularly, and he participated in one-day instructional camps over the summer, including the Buckeyes Friday Night Lights event in Ohio Stadium in late July. At Friday Night Lights, Edward worked personally with Buckeyes defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Luke Fickell and left a positive impression.

"Urban (Meyer) watched him closely this summer at camp and so did our recruiting staff," Warinner said of his son. "There's a lot of eyes on him and everybody likes where he's at. We're just taking a look at him to see because we want to be fair to him and want him to go to a place where he fits."

The obvious assumption is that Edward fits at Ohio State. But that may not be reality.

Edward Warinner working out at one of Ohio State's camps over the summer.

Just because Edward's father coaches at Ohio State doesn't necessarily mean that Edward is a top-level prospect or that he wants to go there the most. Though Edward lives in Columbus and his father wears the Ohio State logo on his shirt every day, there isn't that in-state connection most prospects have.

Edward grew up in Kansas. He lived in South Bend, Ind. Then he moved to Columbus in 2012 when Meyer brought Warinner to Ohio State from Notre Dame.

"I lived the majority of my childhood in Kansas and when you live in Big 12 country, Oklahoma is the school," Edward said. "I always thought Oklahoma was the team. But it's different in this part of the country because now it's Ohio State, Michigan and Michigan State.

"So I'm open to everyone and I know the reality of Ohio State. Let's be honest. Ohio State is (really) good. If I am not good enough to play there, then I'm not going to play there. They aren't going to hand out a bullcrap scholarship just for me. They are just too valuable there."

Edward sounds like a coach's son. He plays like one, too.

Warinner got a chance to see his son play for the second consecutive week on Friday evening when he blended into the packed home stands with the rest of the parents at Olentangy Liberty. That night, Warinner got a break from being Ohio State's offensive coordinator.

By the time Olentangy Liberty's 55-10 win over Hamilton (Ontario) St. Thomas More concluded, Warinner's break was over. Back to the Blackwell Hotel he went to be with the Buckeyes, who had a game 16 hours later.

"Any time he's here, it's nice," Edward said. "But I understand his time is limited. It's not easy being Ohio State's offensive coordinator. That's life."

Warinner regrets not being there for all of his son's football moments, "but this is the occupation I chose. Everybody understands that in my family."

Maybe Warinner misses 65 percent of Edward's football career, but has seen enough to know good things are ahead. Maybe those good things are going to happen at Ohio State. Or Rutgers. Or Michigan State. Or Notre Dame.

Or Oklahoma.

The next phase of Edward's life starts in Norman on Saturday night.