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QB Taylor Graham (transfer to Hawaii)

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Daily Herald

Like father, like son for Taylor Graham

By Kevin Schmit | Daily Herald Staff


Born at Ohio State University's hospital, Taylor Graham literally has been a Buckeyes fan his entire life.
Eighteen years later, he'll follow in his father's footsteps and play football for one of the nation's top college programs.
After weighing eight scholarship offers, the Wheaton North senior quarterback has verbally committed to Ohio State to fulfill a lifelong dream.
"When they offered I was really shocked," said Graham, who is 6-feet-4, 210 pounds. "It took awhile for it to settle in. It was a tough decision, but I just feel real comfortable with it."
Graham, the son of former Ohio State and NFL quarterback Kent Graham, received offers from Michigan State, Iowa, UCLA and others before choosing the Buckeyes. Sealing the deal was last week's trip to Columbus, where Taylor and his father watched game tape to analyze the offense.
"We went there just to watch for a little while, but we ended up watching about five hours of tape," Taylor Graham said. "People think they just run a spread offense, but it's more like a pro system. That's the kind of fit I want.
"A lot of people think I chose Ohio State because of my dad, but that really had nothing to do with it," he said. "I had all the information on all the schools that offered me, and I was ready to make a decision."
Promoted to varsity his sophomore year, Graham played about half the season. He started the first five games of his junior season and threw for 469 yards and 6 touchdowns against only 1 interception but missed the rest of the campaign after suffering a broken ankle.
Now that he's fully recovered, Graham's ready to lead Wheaton North's football team this fall.
"I wanted to get the whole recruiting process done before my senior year," he said. "I wanted to put my complete focus on Wheaton North football."
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More on Taylor Graham

I passed on some post-spring info from a former player. He recently passed this piece of info on to me:

I got to see Graham.We talked about his arm strength. He showed it today. You said you liked Hendrix a little better. You would not say that if you saw what I saw. I can't wipe the smile off my face. I don't know if they went in looking for a quarterback for emergency depth or not. I know they did not come away with one. Graham has starter skills.
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Sounds to me like we might have ourselves another 3* steal.
 
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Re: Graham, the son of former Ohio State and NFL quarterback Kent Graham

WOW, does time sure fly by. It sure doesn't seem like it has been 18 years (i.e. 1991) since Kent was the Ohio State quarterback.

:yow1:
 
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Passing Time: With Taylor Graham, QB, Wheaton North and Ohio State
July 7

Taylor_Graham_1.jpg

Wheaton North senior QB Taylor Graham will attend Ohio State next fall.

The recruitment process of Wheaton North quarterback Taylor Graham could have provided some of the best drama of the upcoming Illinois high school football season.

But in the end, Graham chose to stay home. And it proved to be no surprise.

Born at a hospital at Ohio State University, Graham is buckeye through and through. His dad, Kent, was the signal caller for Ohio State when Graham came into the world. Dad would go on to an 11 year pro football career.

Naturally Taylor, Kent?s 6-foot-4, 215-pound son, found himself in his dad?s footsteps. Midway through his sophomore year at Wheaton North ? a one-time QB factory that previously had included Kent as well as former pro Chuck Long ? Taylor took over the the starting QB role. He only played in five games his junior year, where he threw for 469-yards and six touchdowns against one interception before a broken ankle sidelined his season.

The 2009-10 campaign was supposed to be his coming out party. But given his size and heritage, he was soon fielding offers from Michigan State, Iowa, Wisconsin, Arkansas, UCLA, Colorado and Ohio State. He quickly selected the Buckeyes without an official visit and ended any recruiting drama.

Perhaps now with the big decision out of the way, Graham can concentrate on some pretty hefty goals for the Falcons this fall.

Examiner.com: Tell us about yourself (height, weight, position):

Taylor Graham: I?m a 6-foot-4, 215-pound senior quarterback at Wheaton North High School. I just recently announced my intent to play at Ohio State University following graduation.

Examiner.com: Do you have an athletic achievement from your (pre-HS) youth that sticks out in your mind?

TG: When I was in sixth grade my park district baseball team won the championship game.

Examiner.com: For a time Wheaton North was famous for producing pro quarterbacks, starting with Chuck Long and then your father, Kent. How have you dealt with the pressure of being called ?the next great Wheaton North QB??

TG: I?ll be honest, there is some pressure, and I felt it mostly my freshman and sophomore years. But now that I?m older I understand that I have to approach it one day at a time. One practice at a time. One play at a time. If I can focus on the task at hand and be successful at that task time and time again, the rest will take care of itself.

Examiner.com: What kind of goals have you set for yourself and your team for the upcoming high school season?

TG: For myself, I do not want to throw any interceptions. That has always been a goal of mine. If we don?t turn the ball over our chances of winning as a team increase. As a team, I want us to go undefeated and win the state championship. Just like any other high school football player.

I?m not concerned with other statistics. As long as we win, nothing else matters. For example, if I throw six TDs and lose, it doesn?t matter. But if I hand the ball off every time and we win, I?m happy.

Examiner.com: The recruiting process can be time consuming and difficult. Have you had time to enjoy the process, or has it been hard?

TG: There are times when the process can become stressful. But it?s very manageable. The process is pretty fun, too. I have met so many people and seen so many places as a result of it. As a kid I always wanted to see the locker rooms and weight rooms and meet coaches. And because of this recruiting process, all of my dreams have become a reality. I really have enjoyed it.

Examiner.com: You?ve been a high profile player for most of your career, with a father who played both at Wheaton North and in the NFL. How do you keep a good head on your shoulders with all the attention you receive?

TG: I do my best to make sure I don?t get a big head, but at the end of the day I know my dad will let me know if I?m out of line. He?ll tell me real quick.

Examiner.com: Your career closely mirrors your dads in that you both had such high expectations and have been highly recruited. How has he helped you along, not only as a player, but in dealing with recruiting?

TG: As a player he has helped me so much. Lots of people say we?re exactly alike. As for recruiting, the biggest thing I?ve learned from him is that the process is a roller coaster; one day you?re up, the next you?re down. You need to keep it in check when you get an offer. But you also need to stay calm when the school you liked all along doesn?t pull through.

Examiner.com: Realistically what do you expect once you get to the next level?

TG: I expect to be a part of one of the best traditions in college football.
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Passing Time: With Taylor Graham, QB, Wheaton North and Ohio State
 
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OSU football: For quarterbacks, there is no mold
Coaches don't look for specific style in recruits
Sunday, July 12, 2009
By Tim May
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

Last month, Taylor Graham barely had the words, "I've committed to Ohio State," out of his mouth when an obvious question arose:

"Why would a quarterback who bears little physical resemblance to Terrelle Pryor pick Ohio State?"

The point being, the 6-foot-4, 215-pound Graham -- a rising senior at North High School in Wheaton, Ill., and son of former OSU and pro quarterback Kent Graham -- was born to be a pro-style, drop-back quarterback, just like his dad. Whereas Pryor is a 6-foot-6, 235-pound speedy anomaly, the likes of which Ohio State has never had at QB.

Graham is not the next Pryor. But he laughed when asked why he'd chosen a college team that, for now anyway, has cast its lot with a running-throwing quarterback that seems to defy the pro-style ethos.

"I wouldn't categorize myself as an option quarterback, but I wouldn't categorize Ohio State's offense that way, either," Graham said. "They run a pro-style offense, and coach (Jim) Tressel told me that one of the reasons why Terrelle wanted to come to Ohio State was because they ran a pro-style system, and he wanted to be that type of quarterback.

"I really think he is. I think he is going to be a great quarterback. And I want to be the next guy in line to keep that going."

How the Pryor era goes remains to be seen. He's preparing for his sophomore season after earning the starting job as a freshman.

But as Ohio State coaches continue the search for future talent, they aren't looking for the next Pryor, though his presence does skew the effort.

"One of the questions every guy asks, not just quarterbacks, is, 'Why, if you've got a guy like this, are you looking at me? I'm not just like that,' " said Tressel, who by NCAA rules can't speak about specific recruits who have not signed a national letter of intent. "I guess you never say to a recruit, 'Well, there isn't anyone else like that.'

"But the thing I will say about quarterbacks is in 22 years we have been to nine national championship games (six at Youngstown State, three at Ohio State) with eight different quarterbacks. So the only thing I'll pledge to a quarterback is: 'We're going to do what you do and what your partners do.' "
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BuckeyeXtra - The Columbus Dispatch : OSU football: For quarterbacks, there is no mold
 
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Article feels dated, but more of the same positive stuff...

www.debartolosportsu.com - News

"After watching Taylor Graham (Wheaton, IL/North) all weekend, the question no longer became if but rather when would the scholarships begin to roll in. Graham possessed a rocket arm and excellent ball placement throwing with solid mechanics. Of all academies in 2009, Graham is right alongside Austin Hinder as one of the most physically ready in both stature and arm strength for the next level. A broken ankle last fall limited schools from having much film on him, but Graham has the tools to be one of the more highly recruited quarterbacks in the Class of 2010"
 
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bucksn'boobs;1500882; said:
Article feels dated, but more of the same positive stuff...

www.debartolosportsu.com - News

"After watching Taylor Graham (Wheaton, IL/North) all weekend, the question no longer became if but rather when would the scholarships begin to roll in. Graham possessed a rocket arm and excellent ball placement throwing with solid mechanics. Of all academies in 2009, Graham is right alongside Austin Hinder as one of the most physically ready in both stature and arm strength for the next level. A broken ankle last fall limited schools from having much film on him, but Graham has the tools to be one of the more highly recruited quarterbacks in the Class of 2010"
Click to expand...

Spoke with our friend of the family at church again today about Taylor. He's pretty much reiterated much of the same (he plays SS for WNHS). He said that TG has just been throwing darts all summer. I'm really looking forward to Friday nights at WNHS this fall. It's going to be a lot of fun to watch a future Buckeye!
 
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BN $ - Graham Discusses OSU Decision, Father's Influence In Chat

7/22

Ohio State verbal commitment Taylor Graham will a second generation Buckeye quarterback as father Kent wore the Scarlet & Gray before spending time in the NFL. In a special chat session with Bucknuts subscribers, Graham discussed his father's influence, his college decision process, and much more.
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I keep coming back to this commitment...

We were drunk on Montana, and then we were happy to know that our fall back plan could play the guitar left-handed, and even upside down.

We got this kid? Oh My!!!

I could not be happier!

Taylor Graham, come on down!

Awesome stuff.
 
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