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Here are the top 10 Columbus-area QBs entering 2024 Ohio high school football season
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- Here are the top 10 Columbus-area QBs entering 2024 Ohio high school football season
With the start of the 2024 Ohio high school football season rapidly approaching, The Dispatch will reveal the best players at every position across central Ohio.
For better or worse, quarterbacks typically draw the most headlines, most credit and most criticism. Several high school signal callers across the Columbus area already have committed to playing in college, such as Gahanna Lincoln's Brennen Ward (Kentucky). Others need a big season to secure passage to the next level.
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Some are pure passers, and others are equally adept at making things happen in the run game.
Here are The Dispatch's top 10 quarterbacks in central Ohio, in alphabetical order:
West Jefferson quarterback Austin Buescher passed for more than 3,700 yards last season.
Austin Buescher, West Jefferson
Vitals:6-foot-4, 175 pounds, jr.
College offers:Ashland, Kent State
Last year's Division VI Central District Offensive Player of the Year and a first-team all-state honoree, Buescher passed for 3,747 yards and 38 touchdowns with five interceptions in leading the Roughriders (12-2) to the Region 23 final .
Olentangy Orange quarterback Levi Davis carries the ball during a September 2023 game against Dublin Coffman. A starter since his freshman year, Davis passed for 3,024 yards the past two seasons.
Levi Davis, Olentangy Orange
Vitals:6-0, 185, jr.
College offers:Bowling Green, Florida Atlantic, Kent State, Massachusetts, Miami University, Pennsylvania, South Florida, Toledo, UNLV
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Entering his third season as a starter – his first under coach Wes Schroeder – Davis threw for 1,751 yards, ran for more than 700 and accounted for 20 touchdowns as a sophomore.
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Jaystin Gwinn, Westerville Central
Vitals:6-1, 185, sr.
College offers:Akron, Bucknell, Eastern Kentucky, Kent State, Kentucky, Miami University, Wofford
A three-star recruit, Gwinn threw for 1,869 yards, ran for 1,287 and accounted for 30 touchdowns (17 passing, 13 rushing) as a junior. He was second-team all-district and honorable mention all-state in Division I .
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Thomas Worthington quarterback Grey Kegley tries to escape pressure and survey the field at the same time during a 2023 game at Newark. Kegley threw for 2,000 yards last fall as a freshman.
Grey Kegley, Thomas Worthington
Vitals:6-3, 195, so.
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College offers:Kent State, Marshall, South Florida, Toledo
Kegley was a key to the Cardinals' 5-1 start last season, finishing his debut varsity season with 2,000 passing yards and 10 touchdowns. Thomas (5-6) averaged 29.4 points in its wins.
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Granville's Beckett Long passes during a 7-on-7 scrimmage against Fairfield Union on July 23. The Middlebury commit accounted for more than 3,600 total yards last season.
Beckett Long, Granville
Vitals:6-2, 185, sr.
College commitment:Middlebury
The Licking County League's Offensive Back of the Year and second-team all-state honoree in Division III threw for 2,841 yards and 29 touchdowns as a junior and ran for another 780 yards and 13 scores, guiding the Blue Aces to a 12-1 record .
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Marquis Lucas, Walnut Ridge
Vitals:6-2, 215, jr.
College offers:South Florida
Lucas looks to build off a sophomore season in which he ran for 1,100 yards, passed for 900 and split his 21 touchdowns almost evenly between rushing (11) and passing (10). Lucas was honorable mention all-state in Division II.
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Bloom-Carroll quarterback Ethan Thanthanavong throws a pass during a 7-on-7 on July 17 at New Lexington. The three-year starter has passed for almost 3,400 yards the past two seasons but is awaiting his first scholarship offer.
Ethan Thanthanavong, Bloom-Carroll
Vitals:6-0, 190, sr.
College offers:None
Entering his third year as a starter , Thanthanavong has passed for 3,388 yards and 33 touchdowns the past two seasons, including 2,153 yards and 23 scores a year ago in earning third-team all-state in Division III.
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Aaron Walters, Logan Elm
Vitals:6-0, 205, sr.
College offers:Heidelberg, Ohio Northern, Wittenberg
The first-team all-Southeast District and second-team all-state selection in Division IV shined during a 9-2 season for the Braves, throwing for 2,295 yards and 22 touchdowns and completing 68.1% of his passes.
Gahanna quarterback Brennen Ward, the son of Lions coach Bruce Ward, has committed to Kentucky.
Brennen Ward, Gahanna Lincoln
Vitals:6-4, 210, sr.
College commitment:Kentucky
One of the area's top quarterbacks the past two seasons, Ward passed for 2,370 yards and 21 touchdowns with seven interceptions as a junior, leading the Lions to a 12-0 start . He was second-team all-district and honorable mention all-state in Division I.
Pickerington Central quarterback Rocco Williams follows through on a pass during a Division I, Region 3 semifinal loss at Upper Arlington last November.
Rocco Williams, Pickerington Central
Vitals:6-2, 195, jr.
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College offers:Campbell, Central Florida, Central Michigan, Florida A&M, Florida Atlantic, Jackson State, Marshall, Miami University
The three-star recruit comes into his second year as a starter with plenty of promise, having passed for 1,407 yards and 14 touchdowns with another four scores on the ground in helping lead Central to a Division I, Region 3 quarterfinal last fall.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Central Ohio high school football: Best quarterbacks in 2024
