Before even setting foot on campus, Todd Boeckman is breaking records at Ohio State. But it isn’t anything Boeckman is doing on the football field which is setting new marks.

The quarterback from St. Henry High School is the Buckeyes’ first grayshirt football recruit.

Grayshirting is a new concept at OSU, so not much is known about it. Fundamentally, it recognizes the talent of an athlete, but reserves enrollment for one year. By waiting to enroll, the player will still have a full four years of eligibility left and also holds onto his one redshirt.

The 6-foot-5-inch Boeckman made the decision to grayshirt after evaluating how his skills could best benefit both OSU and himself. By grayshirting, Boeckman dodges a logjam at the quarterback position as the Buckeyes will have four returning signal callers on next year’s roster.

“It leaves a little gap between all of Ohio State’s quarterbacks,” Boeckman said. “After next season, Justin Zwick and Tony Smith will be the only returning quarterbacks on the roster, and I will be two years behind the two of them.”

Breaking records is nothing new for Boeckman. The all-around athlete has set many St. Henry records in three different sports. In baseball, he finished a season with a perfect 11-0 pitching record and also set a home run record, hitting 13 his sophomore year. On the gridiron, Boeckman set a career yardage mark with 7,021 passing yards. He also has shown his skills on the basketball court. Just last Friday in a game against Marion Local, St. Henry’s rival, he surpassed the 1,000 career point plateau.

“From a young age, Todd began to stand out, and we knew he had the potential to be a special athlete,” said Tim Boeckman, his father and high school football coach.

Boeckman stepped into high school sports his freshman year, tried on varsity uniforms and never took them off. When he graduates from St. Henry this spring, he will have 11 varsity letters.

But it is easy to see why Boeckman has become so comfortable with football. He played on the varsity squad his freshman year, and by his sophomore year, Boeckman was established as one of the state’s finest players, taking home All-State honorable mention. He has also been named the Best of Ohio Bluechip Athlete.

Even former teammates know Boeckman has special talents.

“Todd just stands out,” said Riley Kremer, an OSU junior in radiology technology and a former teammate of Boeckman’s. “He shocked everyone from his very first game freshman year. He picked up the ball and things happened.”

Bill Gast, a junior in finance and another of Boeckman’s former teammates, was most impressed with the young quarterback’s leadership on the field.

“What stands out about Todd is his composure in the huddle, even as he took charge his freshman year,” Gast said. “He commanded amazing leadership.”

Ties that bind

But it should not have come as a surprise that Boeckman excelled on the football field. Having his dad as his coach helped him during his youth.

“It has been a great advantage to Todd to have his father there for him on and off the field,” said Denise Boeckman, his mother. “Tim has been able to guide him in many ways and given him support in all that he does.”

In his coaching career, Tim Boeckman led the Redskins to many victories, including six state championship appearances. However, he announced he will be retiring.

“All my life he has been the coach,” Boeckman said. “He’s become a legend, but now he wants to be with me at Ohio State and be able to visit my sister more and have a little time on his hands again.”

Tim Boeckman said retiring was a big decision, but he felt that it would be in everyone’s best interest because his weekends could not be fully dedicated to both the St. Henry football program and his son’s Buckeye career.

Along with his father, Boeckman credits his mother as being a key to his success. From the endless baskets of laundry to the spaghetti dinners, he said she has done a lot of behind-the-scenes work.

“She helps me out if something goes wrong and celebrates with me when things go right,” Boeckman said.

During her son’s recruiting adventure, she probably felt a bit like a secretary as various colleges were calling to attempt to convince Boeckman to choose their schools.

“Through the recruiting process, there were different schools calling, and at one point, I was thinking ‘Geez, when is this going to stop?'” Boeckman said.

His father encouraged him to keep his eyes and options open and made it clear that the decision was up to him.

“I’ve always been a Buckeye fan, but the duty of a coach is to open as many avenues as possible and let him see his options and decide what is best for him,” his father said.

After looking around, Todd Boeckman finally decided there was no school that was nearly as compatible with his Buckeye blood as OSU.

The beaten path

The road to OSU is nothing new for a number of St. Henry Redskins.

Jim Lachey, a former Redskin, earned All-American honors in the 1980s for the Buckeyes before going on to an impressive career in the NFL. He is still sharing his athletic expertise as an OSU radio commentator.

Bobby Hoying also made the trek from St. Henry to OSU. He earned various honors as a Buckeye and spent time in the NFL.

“I’ve talked to Bobby a few times,” Boeckman said. “Seeing those great players go from small town St. Henry to Ohio State says a lot.”

Another inspiration for St. Henry’s latest addition to the scarlet and gray tradition was OSU football coach Jim Tressel.

“I can’t wait to play for Tressel; he’s a great coach,” Boeckman said. “He makes you feel right at home. He’s up front about what’s going on.”

Leader in classroom

While his greatest accomplishments have come on the playing field, Boeckman also has done well in the classroom. Maintaining a 3.0 grade point average, he made the honor roll again last semester.

“Todd has done an amazing job keeping a great balance between academics, athletics and social life,” his father said. “He is very busy, but he keeps priority where it needs to be.”

“Todd has shown a lot of talent above every level he has played, and I think he will continue his ability to impress everyone at Ohio State”, Kremer said.