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Quarterback is an important position in football. And for the Ohio State Buckeyes, the 2019-20 season could become dicey as Dwayne Haskins and Tate Martell have departed the program. Granted, Justin Fields has transferred in from Georgia. But, what if he doesn’t get the transfer waiver? Matthew Baldwin would be thrust into the starting role in that scenario, and while I have no reservations about his ability, it’s the depth behind him that has me—and Buckeye nation—worried.
Having another scholarship QB on the roster doesn’t hurt. With that being said, the Buckeyes may be in the hunt for another transfer. This time, it’s a graduate transfer from Texas A&M in Nick Starkel.
Texas A&M QB Nick Starkel will hit the transfer portal any minute now & will not participate in spring practice, he said. Will complete 120 hours before July & should be on new campus July 1. Said he's looking at Duke, Ohio State, SMU & Arizona (former HC Kevin Sumlin).
— . (@Travis_L_Brown) January 23, 2019
Reported by Travis Brown, the redshirt sophomore is entering the transfer portal, and plans to have his Aggie diploma finished up by June. By July, Starkel is projected to be at his new college home.
Ohio State is in the mix, but they aren’t alone. If the former three-star recruit from the 2016 class was a big fan of Kevin Sumlin, the coach of Texas A&M at the time he committed, then having the Arizona Wildcats high on the leaderboard makes sense. According to the 247sports’ profile on Starkel, Noel Mazzone was the guy who led the recruitment of Starkel to College Station in the first place. Where is Mazzone now? In Tucson, Arizona, as the Wildcats offensive coordinator.
Duke and SMU also have been presented in Brown’s tweet and story as other possible landing spots.
With two years of eligibility remaining, Starkel could be an impact player if given the opportunity. Injuries hampered his time with Texas A&M, but if he can stay healthy and adapt to a new playbook, then the sky’s the limit.
Recruiting grades for 2019
247sports released their final grades for the 2019 recruiting class. Of the 32 five-star recruits, two of them are signed with the Buckeyes. However, those two recruits did slide down the overall Top247 listing.
Five-star defensive lineman Zach Harrison moved down from No. 3 to No. 22 in the 247sports grading, and five-star wide receiver Garrett Wilson slid from No. 16 to No. 29. However, that’s just the 247sports evaluation. In the 247sports composite, Harrison comes in at No. 12, and Wilson shows up at No. 20.
Four-star offensive lineman Harry Miller appears at No. 36 on the Top247 list. That’s a 15 spot increase for the Buford, Georgia, native. Four-star linebacker Cade Stover holds the No. 67 spot.
Just outside of the top 100 are safety Ronnie Hickman and WR Jameson Williams. Hickman is at No. 111 and Williams is at No. 113.
Steele Chambers and Doug Nester are back-to-back at No. 145 and No. 146, respectively. Nester is committed to the Buckeyes, but hasn’t signed.
The last member of the OSU 2019 recruiting class on the list is four-star safety Bryson Shaw, who appears at No. 244.