QB ends 33-month commitment to Ohio State
Ohio State’s first commitment in their 2017 class, which currently ranks No. 2 in the Rivals.com team rankings, was three-star quarterback Danny Clark. After nearly three years on their commitment list, the Akron (Ohio) Hoban High product announced Tuesday he would not be signing with the Buckeyes in February.
THE LATEST
When Clark accepted Urban Meyer’s scholarship offer on the spot while attending a Buckeyes' bowl practice, the 2014 class was not yet signed. The in-state quarterback was all-in from the start, even getting a big Block “O” tattooed on his throwing shoulder during his sophomore year. Still, the writing has been on the wall here for the past several months. Even with Clark on-board, Ohio State still went out and landed Rivals100 quarterback Tate Martell in June, then sewed up the position for the 2018 class by getting a commitment from five-star Emory Jones in July. BuckeyeGrove.com analyst Marc Givler says this was not a case of Ohio State forcing Clark out of the class, but their moves at the position over the last couple months undoubtedly left the 6-foot-2, 225-pound passer questioning where he fit in with their future plans.
IN HIS WORDS
“Since I have been six years old I have worked tirelessly to be a better football player with only one goal in mind… to play for Thee Ohio State University. I never for one second pictured a scenario where I wasn’t wearing the Scarlet and Grey. But sometimes God has a funny way of putting us in situations only he knows we are strong enough to handle. In the past few months I have been forced to accept the fact that as a pro style QB, maybe my style of play would be a good fit elsewhere.”
RIVALS’ REACTION
What’s ironic about this situation is that when Ohio State initially offered Clark he was far from a sure thing and the offer was considered premature by most recruiting pundits. Yet, the last year has seen Clark make great strides and he was starting to fulfill his potential. The full text of Clark’s statement, which can be seen here, reveals how much it pains the three-star to step away from this commitment. At the end of the day, though, this is very likely the best move for him, and it takes the Buckeyes off the hook as well because they do not have to cut ties with a kid who had become the face of the class in many respects, not the least of which was his unabashed enthusiasm for the program. Because Clark made his commitment so early in the process, he never had a chance to build a relationship with other coaching staffs and with just over four months before National Signing Day his options are going to be limited. With this decision apparently having been considered for several months, though, Clark may already have been working on his next move behind the scenes and we could see something happen soon.
