Buckeyes may need to speed up recruiting search for second QB

Have a question about Ohio State recruiting? This is the place for you, five days a week. Submit your questions on Twitter or on the Lettermen Row forums. Check-in daily to see what’s on the mind of Buckeyes fans all over the country. Tuesday’s question is about the Class of 2020 why Ohio State may need to hasten its efforts to find an additional quarterback.

Ohio State Recruiting Question of the Day

We keep hearing the bucks want another one. Are there any names on the board as potential 2nd QB commits to pair with Jack Miller yet?

— Kenneth Hicks (@AuthorKHicks) September 12, 2019

We have talked here on Lettermen Row multiple times about the possibility of Ohio State adding a complementary quarterback to Jack Miller in its 2020 recruiting class. We’ve wondered if they can or if they should, and we’ve wondered who the options are if they want to pursue a passer.

It’s my position that, yes, the Buckeyes are still considering the best way to bring in another quarterback for their 2020 roster. There are some who think the best choice to do so will be reviewing the transfer portal following the season and see what top-tier transfer options out there would be available.

I think that’s a fine option if that’s the plan of attack Ryan Day and Mike Yurcich choose. Locating a quarterback with college experience who could sit out the 2020 season while Justin Fields, Gunnar Hoak and Jack Miller will be on scholarship before competing in 2021 could be ideal for a number of reasons.

As long as Miller continues to suggest that another quarterback addition won’t be a problem for him, the Buckeyes can explore their options either through the portal or via more traditional means, like adding a prep prospect to accompany him in the Class of 2020. There are players out there who have been discussed and relationships that have been forming through the last few months. But to this point, Ohio State hasn’t offered anyone else — and that includes 4-star prospect C.J. Stroud or 3-star talents like North Texas commit Kade Renfro or local standout Demeatric Crenshaw from Pickerington Central.

If there is going to be a push for another high school quarterback, the best fit is probably Rancho Cucamonga (Calif.) prospect C.J. Stroud. The winner of this summer’s Elite 11 Finals, Stroud is the country’s seventh-ranked pro-style quarterback and a fast-rising prospect with big-time offers to his name. The intrigue around his recruitment may get another hit boost soon, because rumors abound that USC will be losing a 2020 quarterback commitment to Alabama. When that happens, it’ll be a major surprise if Stroud isn’t the first person the Trojans call.

Things are a little rough in the Coliseum right now, but for a kid from Southern California, the chance to play close to home and suit up for the Trojans is difficult to pass up.

Everything about quarterback recruiting to this point has been contingent on Jack Miller and how he’s approaching the possibility of an additional quarterback signing with Ohio State. At some point, that conversation with Miller is going to be forced to turn from hypothetical to actual. If Ohio State’s intentions with Stroud are sincere, it may be in the Buckeyes best interest to put an offer out there sooner rather than later.

The best way to stay on top of all that recruiting #stuff? Subscribe to Lettermen Row’s Scarlet Sunrise newsletter to start your day with the Ohio State news you need to know.