Buckeyes Add QB As Signing Day Approaches

With National Letter of Intent (NLOI) signing day next week, the 2009 Ohio State has only a few targets left on the board. A big piece of the puzzle was in quasi-satisfactory fashion this past week, when the Buckeyes added 3-star dual threat QB Kenny Guiton (TX).
Guiton is visiting this weekend and expected to make his verbal commitment official. His addition caps a whirlwind week for OSU's quarterback situation.

The Buckeyes were actually hoping to add 4-star Tajh Boyd early in the week, and things looked promising on Sunday. Numerous insiders were confident that Boyd would become a Buckeye on Monday, though Oregon and Clemson were in hot pursuit. It's not clear at what point things broke down, but the Monday press conference was bumped to Tuesday, and then Boyd was suddenly a Tiger.

I don't enjoy the drama aspect of recruiting, so I won't waste much more time on a player destined for a mid-level ACC school. But from all reports, Boyd may have actually told coaches from all three schools he was headed for their program. If so, that's a truly classless act. I've got no issue with kids having a hard time deciding, or even changing their mind. And fans that berate 18-year-olds for their choices are terrible, in my opinion. But some level of maturity and decency is also required, so I honestly hope the stories aren't true.

In any event, the Buckeyes immediately turned their attention to Austin Boucher, an Ohio kid they've been scouting for quite awhile. Though only listed as a 2-star, Ohio State coaches were very impressed at the games they attended this past season. He was offered and seemed like a real possibility, but in the end could not be swayed from his commitment to Miami (OH). You may be thinking "ouch", but his brother does also play for the Redhawks. And you can't really blame someone who was likely to be sandwiched between to elite QB prospects his whole career.

That brings us to Guiton, one of the few uncommitted dual-threat QB's. He reportedly held offers from schools like Kansas, Northwestern and Rice, and drew significant interest from Purdue and Kansas State. He played at a high level of Texas high school football and acquitted himself quite well, displaying great scrambling skills and the ability to improvise on the run. He definitely needs some time in the weight room, and Rivals indicated that he must improve his release mechanics.

All in all, the quick recruitment should be considered a relatively successful outcome for the Buckeyes. Only a couple of schools seem capable of piling up 4-5 star QB recruits every season, and they have a high attrition rate if they don't win the job. Guiton is a solid prospect with good upside, and adds much needed depth at the position. He looks similar to - but probably a step up - from 3-star Antonio Henton in 2006. And the Buckeyes will surely go hard and heavy after 1 or 2 QB's in the 2010 class.