Ohio State just landed a quarterback commitment that it desperately needed. Gunnar Hoak, a grad transfer from Kentucky, will be a Buckeye.
He announced the news via Twitter, and in a way that only a Buckeye fan would.
Co❌ing ho❌e!! ? pic.twitter.com/XsGbsskISL
— Gunnar Hoak (@GunnarHoak12) April 28, 2019
Hoak spent the first three seasons of his career at Kentucky, but put his name in the Transfer Portal following spring practice. He will graduate in May.
As soon as he announced that he would transfer, Ohio State seemed like an ideal fit.
He is a native of Dublin, Ohio, just outside of Columbus. He played at Dublin Coffman High School and camped at Ohio State, but didn’t receive a scholarship offer from the Buckeyes.
Instead, he left for Kentucky. Hoak redshirted in 2016 and did not play in 2017. Last fall, Hoak appeared in four games, going 13-for-26 for 167 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.
He put on a show at Kentucky’s 2019 Spring Game, completing 23 of 30 passes for 262 yards and two touchdowns.
But even with that performance, he was still stuck behind returning starter Terry Wilson with the Wildcats.
Hoak won’t start with the Buckeyes either, at least for now. Justin Fields is seemingly locked into the starting job for this fall, but Hoak provides critical depth for the team.
He is now the third scholarship quarterback on the roster along with Fields and grad transfer Chris Chugunov. Fields, Hoak, and 2020 freshman Jack Miller are expected to be the top three names on the depth chart next year.
Hoak is an Ohio State legacy. His father, Frank, played for the Buckeyes in the late 1980s. Now his son will follow in those footsteps.
He won’t immediately vault to the top of the depth chart like Fields did, but Hoak significantly improves the Buckeyes’ “worst-case scenario” this fall if Fields and Chugunov both get hurt.
And he gives the Buckeyes some badly-needed veteran depth for 2020 as well.
Hoak hasn’t played a lot at the collegiate level, but showed off a solid arm during Kentucky’s spring game this year.
You can watch a few of his highlights below.
— Tony Gerdeman (@TonyGerdeman) April 23, 2019
— Tony Gerdeman (@TonyGerdeman) April 23, 2019
Nice to add a body.