Written by Mike Furlan

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Well, Jim Tressel pretty much made it official this week.  Todd Boeckman (pictured) will be under center for the Bucks when they open the season with Youngstown State one week from Saturday.  He also said that he expects Rob Schoenhoft and Antonio Henton to both play before the Buckeyes open Big Ten play.  Are these guys any good?  Can they even come close to filling Troy Smith's shoes?  Furls previews the Buckeye signal callers.

Gone: 

All Universe, Heisman Trophy winning Troy Smith

The Replacements:

Todd Boeckman
Rob Schoenhoft
Antonio Henton 

Todd Boeckman, in his 33^rd season at Ohio State (just kidding), is the front runner to succeed newly anointed Ohio State legend Troy Smith.  Since Smith took his two best targets to the NFL with him, I would have to say that Boeckman's situation is not as ideal as he would have hoped, but at least he has a gigantic offensive line in front of him. 

Boeckman is an odd duck.  He is a real rarity, a grey-shirt junior.  Basically, he paid his own way in his first year, which means that he has an extra year of eligibility.  Additionally, Boeckman also redshirted, so while he was a member of the 2002 recruiting class, he still has two years of eligibility left.   

Boeckman at 6'5" 235 is much larger than Troy Smith, but he is nowhere near as mobile as Troy Smith.  Don't get me wrong, he is not a statue, but he will not be able to make a lot of plays with his legs, and he does not have great accuracy while throwing on the run.  He will require a stationary pocket and time in order to be successful.  Boeckman does not have Smith's arm strength but is generally, a pretty accurate passer (probably the most accurate on the team).  He should be at least a capable game manager, but he did not have a great spring so the door remains open to his competitors. 

At 6'6" 240 lbs Rob Schoenhoft is the biggest of the competitors and also has the biggest arm.  He tends to be inaccurate, but does have better footwork and speed than Todd Boeckman.  While Boeckman may have stumbled in Spring Practice, Rob Schoenhoft flat out tripped and fell on his face.  He was unimpressive in the Spring game and part of that clearly had to do with his portion of the line (which was split for the game) not getting him the time he needed, but it was clearly a chance to step up and at least get some buzz about him. 

Speaking of buzz, Antonio Henton appears to be the fan favorite to succeed Smith, but he is not mine.  I think Henton clearly brings mobility and leadership, but his comments in the media lead me to believe that he has a lot of growing up to do.  Here are Henton's exact words from this fall (between the Michigan and NC games),  

"I think if I win the job and I have four years (to start), there's no doubt that I (will) be the next Heisman winner at Ohio State," he said. "That's right, no doubt." 

I love the confidence, but at its core this screams of maturity and teamwork issues.  Jim Tressel has a history of turning guys like this around, so I have faith that we will at some point in the future see a reworked version of Antonio Henton, but I do not think that it will be this year.

The Star:  I don ‘t really think there is one. 

Emerging Star:  Henton? 

Future Star:  Terrelle Pryor

The Buckeyes are still in the running for Pryor, along with the rest of the country.  Most scouts believe that Ohio State still has a pretty decent shot at the kid who is generally ranked as the #1 or #2 overall prospect depending on the scouting service.