Going into the Spring, most Ohio State fans thought the Buckeyes would feature Terrelle Pryor, Joe Bauserman and Ross Oltorik at the quarterback position for the annual Spring Game. But Ross Oltorik remained full-time with the OSU baseball team while Justin Siems entered camp as a walk-on from North Carolina Tech Preparatory.
By Steve Patterson
Ohio State QB Depth
Siems was the most prolific passer in NC Tech history going 14-2 as a senior but when February came around this year, he was still looking for a college to play at. The 6'3" 215lbs quarterback and his family sent film to many colleges and found Ohio State looking for more depth at the position.
The Buckeyes have had a difficult time recruiting quarterbacks with Pryor still leading the team for at least two more seasons. Kenny Guiton is scheduled to join the team in the summer, but having Siems in the Spring was very beneficial for the team.
Spring Practice is Intense
Siems told us about practicing with the team this spring. "I thought that the team performed really well. I thought we all were playing at a fast pace and were flying around in between drills. Of course this is my first spring but I still thought the intensity was nothing like I've seen before and it was a lot of fun."
He recognizes his role at Ohio State but is looking to prove that he can start when he is needed. "Well of course since I play QB. There wasn't much of a battle between the QB's. Its Terrelle's team and he did a great job leading us this spring." he explained.
But Pryor and Bauserman were helpful to the freshman who had a lot to learn over the course of 15 practices. "Him [Pryor] and Joe really did a good job helping me get a good grasp on the offense and made things real fun and competitive."
Game Day Experience
Being in the Horseshoe for the first time with near sell out capacity was a nice experience for Siems. "Well this being my first quarter and this also being my first game here, I thought the attendance was amazing." He told us about the 95,772 fans in attendance for the Scarlet vs. Gray game. "It was a great environment for me to play my first game and I was real excited to be apart of history."
This coming year he wants to become as familiar with the offense as possible. "My goals for the upcoming year are to just keep learning the offense as quick as I can. And just improve every day with the great coaches its going to be hard to not improve. So it should be a fun season."
Updates
Justin spent all four years at Ohio State and did not take a red-shirt season, non-the-less he ended his football career in 2012 after the third season at OSU. He completed his Aviation degree the following Spring. He took a position as a Pilot with Midwest Aerial Photography in Columbus following his graduation. He currently works at Priority Air Charter in Charlotte North Carolina.