Ohio State has its quarterback.
Or at least a backup quarterback.
Faced with a shortage at the position after a series of transfers, including Matthew Baldwin, who competed with Justin Fields for the starting job during spring practice, coach Ryan Day was faced with an emergency.
Fields and graduate transfer Chris Chugunov were the only scholarship quarterbacks. So the Buckeyes dived into the transfer portal and found a hometown kid: Gunnar Hoak.
Hoak (6-foot-4, 206 pounds) announced Saturday on Twitter he had accepted an offer to continue a family tradition and play for the Buckeyes.
Co❌ing ho❌e!! 🏈 pic.twitter.com/XsGbsskISL
— Gunnar Hoak (@GunnarHoak12) April 28, 2019
He is scheduled to graduate from Kentucky next week and has two years of eligibility remaining.
The native of Dublin in suburban Columbus comes to Ohio State from Kentucky, where he served as the Wildcats’ backup, completing 13 of 26 passes for 167 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception in 2018.
Hoak's father, uncle, and cousin all played at Ohio State. His uncle, Fred Pagac, was an assistant coach with the Buckeyes from 1978-2000 before joining the NFL coaching ranks.
“Ever since I was born at OSU hospital, some aspect of my life has always involved scarlet and gray,” Hoak wrote on Twitter. “I’ve heard my dad’s [Frank] football stories with Coach [Earle] Bruce, I’ve seen my uncle [Fred Pagac] coach countless Buckeye games in the ‘Shoe, and watched my cousin [Fred Pagac Jr.] win a national championship. And while I have gained so much experience during my time in Lexington, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to continue a family legacy.”
Hoak, a three-star recruit at Dublin Coffman, did not receive a scholarship offer from the Buckeyes out of high school. He was in line to be Kentucky’s starter last year until the Wildcats signed Terry Wilson, the nation’s top-ranked junior college quarterback who beat out Hoak for the job.
In Kentucky’s spring game April 12, Hoak completed 14 of 15 passes for 174 yards and two touchdowns.
First Published April 29, 2019, 3:49 a.m.
