QB Bauserman Likely to Walk-On at Ohio State

As we noted way back at the beginning of this blog, former OSU commit Joe Bauserman was looking to take a break from his baseball career. The former three-star QB has been pitching in the Pirates minor league system, but has experienced some shoulder issues that slowed his progress. Bauserman is now ready to take a crack at college football, and seems likely to finally be a Buckeye.

The Columbis Dispatch is reporting that Bauserman has applied for admissions for the summer quarter. He would join the team in the fall as a walk-on, provided depth behind Todd Boeckman, Rob Schoenhoft and Antonio Henton. It is believed that his Pirates contract will cover his tuition, so the Buckeyes will not have to use a scholarship for him.

Check out Bauserman pitching for the Pirates AA club, the Altoona Curve.

Ohio State - Breaking Down the Quarterbacks

The Buckeyes must fill the fleet-footed shoes of Heisman trophy winner (and Michigan killer) Troy Smith. The job is open heading into spring camp, with redshirt junior Todd Boeckman holding the inside edge. Redshirt sophomore Rob Schoenhoft will also get a look, while redshirt freshman Antonio Henton is probably a year away from competing.

It will be an interesting transition for the Buckeyes, as Boeckman and Schoenhoft were recruited in the Krenzel-Zwick mold, while Henton is a Smith-syle dual threat QB. Tressel's history of loyalty to his upperclassmen means Boeckman will most certain get the early starts. With a light nonconference schedule, the situation may not be settled until Big Ten play is underway.

From a recruiting standpoint, QB is a medium priority for the 2008 class. Ohio State would ideally like to have 4 QB's on the roster, so they may add former commit Joe Bauserman to the roster. Bauserman was a three-star from Florida who opted for a baseball career with the Pirates. Shoulder injuries have slowed his progress in baseball, and he visited OSU this year to explore his options. Given the limited number of scholarships available this year, Buckeyes fans are hoping that Bauserman will walk-on.

Five-star PA QB Terrelle Pryor has drawn comparison to Vince Young and would be an ideal fit for the Buckeyes new spread option. But Pryor may be hard to pry away from Pittsburgh or Penn State, and he's also hearing from out-of-state powers like USC and Florida. Pryor is also a highly rated basketball player, and may be looking for a situation where he can play both sports. Ohio State will look at a number of in-state prospects at their camp, including Rivals250 member Domonick Britt. When all is said and done, look for OSU to land one dual-threat QB from the south.