Old Dominion adds another QB to significant competition
Four-star prospect deWeaver led JuCo to national crown
NORFOLK — The competition at quarterback has thickened at Old Dominion.
Messiah deWeaver, a former four-star prospect from Dayton, Ohio, by way of East Mississippi Community College, committed to the Monarchs Monday night. He’s the second JuCo QB to commit to ODU in the past month and the third QB in the 2019 recruiting class.
The 6-foot-5, 230pound deWeaver began his career at Michigan State. He redshirted as a freshman in 2016 and played in two games in 2017.
DeWeaver spent last year at East Mississippi, where he completed 68 percent of his passes and led the Lions to a 12-0 record and the National Junior College Athletic Association title.
"Messiah led (EMCC) to the national championship this past year playing against some of the best teams in the country,” ODU coach Bobby Wilder said in a news release. “He has good leadership skills, a high completion percentage, and he knows how to protect the football."
DeWeaver had offers from Central Michigan, Bowling Green, Toledo and Connecticut, where he visited before choosing ODU.
DeWeaver will have two years of eligibility. He joins Stone Smartt of Riverside City College and Hayden Wolff of Venice (Fla.) High in the 2019 class. All three quarterbacks will be enrolled this month for the start of the spring semester.
Last season’s starter, Bishop Sullivan Catholic graduate Blake LaRussa, announced last month that he’s forgoing his final year of eligibility to enroll in divinity school. Backup Drayton Arnold is transferring to Chattanooga, an FCS school.
2017 starter Steven Williams and walk-on Jonah Fitzgerald, each of whom redshirted in 2018, remain on the roster.
"With Blake LaRussa moving on, we felt it was important to add another QB to this class," Wilder said. "We anticipate tremendous competition for the starting QB spot in 2019.”