COLUMBUS, Ohio — Back in October, Urban Meyer caused a mini-stir when he seemingly took credit for the success of Cam Newton, whom he coached at Florida for two years before the eventual No. 1 overall pick transferred to Auburn.
But while Meyer may have never possessed the 2010 Heisman Trophy winner at the peak of his college career, the arrival of Torrance Gibson will finally give the Ohio State head coach an opportunity to see what he can do with a player of Newton's skill set.
Of the 27 signees in the Buckeyes' 2015 class, no player has OSU fans more excited than Gibson, and none has already caused more questions. A 4-star prospect and the sixth-ranked athlete in the 2015 class, Gibson measures in at 6'4" and 195 pounds and possesses the type of talent that had him being recruited by all of the country's top schools.
But while Gibson's ability is doubted by few, his designation as an "athlete" has simultaneously served as an asterisk when it comes to projecting his college career. Sure, Gibson may have earned his status as a highly touted prospect by playing quarterback for American Heritage in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, but could his future ultimately be at another position?
The answer to that question is an emphatic no—at least not for now—according to Buckeyes wide receivers coach Zach Smith. Ohio State's chief recruiter in the race for Gibson's services, Smith was adamant the Buckeyes pitched the U.S. Army All-American on playing quarterback and no other position.
"There were a lot of questions about, 'Can he be a quarterback? Is he an athlete? Can he throw the ball?'" Smith said. "The whole time we were kind of confused by the confusion."
As Smith explained, what the Buckeyes staff saw in Gibson was one of the top quarterbacks in the nation, one whose ability with his legs was merely a complement to his prowess as a passer. In his senior season, the Broward County Class 5A Player of the Year threw for 1,953 yards, 21 touchdowns and just three interceptions, while adding 1,002 yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground.
"I watched him throw live in July, I watched him throw live in practice in the spring, I watched him throw live in a game in the fall. Then he goes out to Army game and they're talking about he's one of the best quarterbacks there," Smith said. "His future is nowhere but the quarterback position."
Those are strong words from Smith, a reiteration of what rival recruiters pitched to Gibson in an attempt to convince him potential playing time in Columbus would come elsewhere on the field. Still, questions pertaining to Gibson's position will persist until he takes the first snap of his college career, especially given Ohio State's loaded quarterback stable.
As it currently stands, Gibson is one of six quarterbacks on the Buckeyes roster, joining national champion Cardale Jones, third-team AP All-American J.T. Barrett, two-time Big Ten MVP Braxton Miller, redshirt freshman Stephen Collier and fellow 2015 signee Joe Burrow. Ohio State's crowded backfield was an initial concern for Gibson but an aspect Meyer got the blue-chip prospect to embrace.
"Everybody has three or four quarterbacks. If you don't, you're struggling," Meyer said of his pitch to Gibson. "Our three or four happen to play really well. Don't hold that against us."
As evidence by his signing with OSU, Gibson bought in. And as Meyer pointed out, the Buckeyes' depth chart should clear up sooner rather than later.
Miller's eligibility will expire after 2015, Jones has already expressed an interest in entering the 2016 NFL draft and just like Gibson, neither Collier nor Burrow has taken an official snap at the college level. Assuming Barrett—a redshirt sophomore-to-be—sticks around, it's not unrealistic to think Gibson could enter 2016 as Ohio State's top backup.
And the Sunshine State product may not even have to wait that long to find himself on the field.
Given that none of the other five Ohio State quarterbacks possess the combination of size and speed that Gibson does, it's safe to call his skill set is a unique one. As Meyer has shown, he has no problem finding playing time for such players, which Smith saw him do multiple times during his time in Gainesville.
"If he's a dynamic player we need to get on the field, we may need to have a package for him to get on the field as a freshman," Smith said. "We've done that from [Tim] Tebow to Cam Newton. We've done that with a number of guys."
Gibson could very well be next on that list, and considering the two players who Smith named went on to win the Heisman Trophy, that would bode well for the future of his college career. Given his high demand, Meyer admitted recruiting Gibson took more effort than most, but his talent made it worth it, especially for a coach who's dying to harness it.
"The amount of time on Torrance was ridiculous," Meyer said of Gibson's recruitment. "But he seemed always to be a natural fit."
Ben Axelrod is Bleacher Report's Ohio State Lead Writer. You can follow him on Twitter @BenAxelrod. Unless noted otherwise, all quotes obtained firsthand. All statistics courtesy of cfbstats.com. Recruiting rankings courtesy of 247Sports.
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