Buckeye Recruit Hoot: Kenneth Guiton Gives Ohio State Good Depth at Quarterback

With the departure of 28 seniors who posted a 43-7 record over their careers, the Ohio State Buckeyes needed a star-studded recruiting class to, not rebuild, but reload.

Ranked in the top five of the ESPN, Scout.com, and Rivals.com rankings, the 24 commits and one transfer from enemy territory lacked one key piece, a quarterback to backup and one day be the successor to the throne of Terrelle Pryor.

This essential component of a offense displaying poetry in motion was thought of as a must need because of Pryor's sketchy passing ability. 

The transfer of dual-threat quarterback Antonio Henton and the departure of senior Todd Boeckman made the addition of a signal-caller a must need.

Once Blue-Chip prospect Tajh Boyd de-committed a second time, this time from the University of Tennessee, the Buckeyes hopped on the train filled with many prestigious schools.

Unfortunately for the Buckeyes, Boyd went the way of Dabo Swinney and the Clemson Tigers. Both Ohio State and the Oregon Ducks were left in the dust as Boyd announced his decision at his school, Phoebus High.

Down but not out, the Buckeyes look for redemption from Miami (OH) commit Austin Boucher. Hours after Boyd's choice, coach Jim Tressel contacted Boucher and offered him a scholarship.

After quick and thorough deliberation, Boucher said the switch to Columbus was a no-go, as he wanted to stay and play with his brother Collin, a linebacker. Boucher had previously de-committed from Toledo.

Going into the 2009-2010 season with only two scholarship quarterbacks(Pryor and Joe Bauserman) was not an option for the Buckeyes. The Buckeyes then contacted Chris Coyer, who was committed to Temple.

Coyer quickly and politely declined.

After one decision gone awry and two futile attempts at bringing in another QB, the Buckeyes dug deeper in the recruiting mines, and while they may have not struck pure gold, their persistence paid off.

Kenneth Guiton, a dual-threat quarterback with dimensions (6'2'', 178 pounds) like top-recruit Russell Shepard (6'1'', 183 pounds), did not hesitate to pledge his services to Tressel's exclusive sweater vest soiree.

Guiton's Eisenhower High School teammates this year included receivers Greg Timmons and Jaz Reynolds (going to Texas and Oklahoma respectively) and one of LSU's top recruits, Craig Loston.

Guiton will be one of 18 Eisenhower players signing with a team Wednesday. He was also recruited by pass heavy schools Kansas, Rice, and Houston, among others.

ESPN has him as the No. 51 quarterback in the class, and has given Guiton a ranking of 76 out of 100, which indicates he has a good chance to become a solid starter at the collegiate level.

Rivals.com has Guiton at 3 out of 5 stars, and sees him as the 35th best dual-threat quarterback in the class, while Scout.com ranked him as the No. 53 signal-caller in the class.

Considering the steadily approaching deadline, the Buckeyes should be thankful Guiton will now bleed Scarlet and Grey. 

In three years, Guiton scored 53 combined touchdowns and had around 4,500 combined yards at Eisenhower High. His style of play resembles that of underrated Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin.

Guiton is a multi-sport athlete. He performed on the school's track team and is the starting point guard on the school's basketball team.

One reason the Buckeyes drew quick interest from Guiton was because he knew of their rich tradition and past.

Guiton will probably start the year as the third quarterback on the depth chart, but could move up past Bauserman and see some early playing time.

While the Buckeyes' late attempts to find a third scholarship quarterback took a long time, Guiton's choice to play in Columbus will provide the team with stability and depth at the quarterback position.

He is most likely not going to make a huge impact this year, but wake up. This potential sleeper could help the Buckeyes create havoc in the Big Ten and the NCAA next year and for the rest of his Buckeye career.

Hopefully for Guiton and the Buckeyes, his choice will be validated with some of the same honors and awards that drew him there.