Marist senior Brendan Skalitzky entered the late stages of the recruiting process without a single offer. He did not have much hope of achieving his dream to play at a big-time school.
The 6-foot, 180-pound quarterback delivered a memorable senior season, passing for 3,805 yards and 38 touchdowns while rushing for 1,084 yards and nine TDs in leading the RedHawks (9-5) to a state runner-up finish in Class 8A.
Skalitzky, who was named the Daily Southtown Player of the Year, had never played quarterback before attending Marist. He did have roster-spot college offers from the next tier in Dayton and Valparaiso.
But Skalitzky took a chance and sent out his 10-minute Hudl.com tape to numerous colleges throughout the country.
“I don’t even know how many for sure, but I sent it out to a lot,” Skalitzky said, letting out a laugh.
One school with a coach with a familiar name and decorated place in college football did respond — Ohio State. The Buckeyes, coached by Urban Meyer, won the national championship in 2015.
“I was little surprised and shocked to hear from such a big school like Ohio State,” Skalitzky said. “It was an honor just to be considered by them. I’m definitely pretty excited about that.”
Skalitzky capped his strange recruiting odyssey Thursday by accepting a preferred walk-on role at Ohio State. He made an unofficial visit to the campus on Jan. 30, even buying some OSU gear in “case I went there.”
Skalitzky acknowledged that he still can’t grasp the notion that he will be attending Ohio State next fall.
“Just a few schools got back to me, but Ohio State was the main one,” he said. “It’s kind of surreal to say that I will be playing at Ohio State. It’s certainly crazy but definitely exciting, and I’m excited to get the opportunity to prove myself.”
Marist coach Pat Dunne said Skalitzky’s athleticism and intelligence caught the attention of the Buckeyes’ staff. Skalitzky said he ran a 4.47 40 last summer. Meyer has made finding athletes with speed one of his main priorities in recruiting throughout much of his coaching career.
“Brendan is such a good athlete and such a smart football player, and that translated into a good opportunity for him,” Dunne said. “His athleticism will help him. He’s such a good athlete.”
Skalitzky said he played a few plays at defensive back in a handful of games, mostly in the playoffs to help avoid allowing any late touchdowns. The Ohio State staff, Skalitzky indicated, is unsure exactly which position to best utilize him.
“They liked my speed and they loved my versatility and willingness to play any position,” Skalitzky said. “I told them I will play wherever, but quarterback, wide receiver and safety are the three positions that they mentioned.”
Brendan’s dad, Tom, said his family had an idea about how topsy-turvy the recruiting process can be when his older son Mike — who played football at Columbia — dealt with his college selection. But Tom Skalitzky said Brendan’s took on a wilder feel.
“During Brendan’s unofficial visit, Urban Meyer spoke to the boys that day about ‘chasing their dream of playing big-time college football,'” Tom Skalitzky said. “…it was little hard to pass up.”
Brendan Skalitzky noted he learned many lessons during his recruiting, but the most important being not giving up on his dream.
“It’s definitely unreal and I couldn’t be happier with my situation,” he said. “”My goal is definitely to earn a scholarship at one point, and hopefully get on the field. I definitely want to prove myself in any way that I can.”
Bob Narang is a freelance writer for the Daily Southtown.
