Will Grier: 2017 Buckeyes Quarterback?

Think back to the early part of the 2015 season. The Florida Gators were riding high at 6-0 behind one of the breakout stars of the year in Freshman Will Grier.

The dual threat passed for 1,204 yards and 10 touchdowns while adding 2 more scores on the ground. Grier was also incredibly accurate, completing 65.8% of his throws in his 6 games in 2015. The highlight of Grier’s season came on October 3rd when he led the Gators in an upset win over Ole Miss 38-10, throwing for 271 yards on 24 of 29 passing for 4 touchdowns.

More from Ohio State Buckeyes

Things couldn’t get any better for Grier, or so we all thought.Two weeks later, Grier was suspended for an entire year for taking a banned supplement that is considered a performance enhancing drug. Now Grier is shopping around for another major program to revive his playing career. After reportedly visiting West Virginia and Miami, Grier supposedly visited with coach Urban Meyer in Columbus. While Grier’s talent is undeniable, the specter of his drug suspension should leave fans cautious of adding Grier to the roster. This comes not too long after reports of the Buckeyes having interest in former Texas A&M signal callers Kyler Murray and Kyle Allen.

But how would Grier fit in with Ohio State? Would there even be a roster spot for Grier, despite all of his talent and in spite of all of his baggage? It’s difficult to see a clear path for Grier to becoming a starter in Columbus, even if there’s great game film of him from 2015 that show flashes of greatness and equally bad film of a putrid Florida offense after Grier’s suspension.

Let’s start with some of the very obvious problems. J.T. Barrett will probably return for his Senior season at Ohio State in 2017. Right now, there’s no reason to believe that even a spectacular Junior year will propel Barrett to the NFL a year early. Immediately behind him is a combination of roster depth and talent. Either Joe Burrow or Torrance Gibson will assume the number two role behind Barrett. Stephen Collier is still on the roster as well, giving the Buckeyes plenty of experience across the Junior and Sophomore classes.

But the biggest reason that Grier won’t come to Ohio State is Dwayne Haskins. As perhaps the biggest win for Urban Meyer this recruiting cycle, it could be Haskins who is actually the starter in 2017 for the Buckeyes. Meyer has already praised Haskins as the best passing

quarterback he has recruited and the scouting evaluations bear that out. Haskins certainly looks the part of a strong armed and athletic quarterback to bring Meyer’s offense to its fullest potential. Essentially, Haskins is everything that Grier is, minus the baggage.

Next: Braxton Miller Is Not First Round Worthy

Will Grier is undeniably talented. There’s plenty of evidence that can show any football fan that truth. Grier just is a poor fit for the Buckeyes at this time and would make a poor choice in coming to Columbus. There isn’t room on the roster for him, no matter how talented he is. By the time Grier is eligible, Dwayne Haskins will be the big man on campus for the title contending Buckeyes.

Home/Ohio State Buckeyes