Westerville Central QB auditions for college offers
Before the COVID-19 pandemic halted the sports world in March, Westerville Central quarterback Judah Holtzclaw had planned to attend camps or combines at Ohio State, Houston, Pittsburgh, Clemson and in Nashville, Tennessee.
The 6-foot-6, 220-pound senior had hoped for those opportunities to enhance his status as a late-blooming three-star college prospect. But when those events were canceled and recruiting was slowed to a standstill, Holtzclaw found himself in a more urgent situation.
“The recruiters are going to have to rely more on senior game film, and that’s going to put more pressure on me to prove how much I’ve improved since last year,” Holtzclaw said.
Holtzclaw completed 153 of 264 passes for 2,110 yards with 23 touchdowns and seven interceptions in helping the Warhawks to a 7-4 record in 2019. He made first-team all-central District and third-team all-ohio.
“While I certainly made big strides last year over my sophomore year when I was still growing into my body, I felt like I struggled in a few big games that cost us, and I worked really hard in the offseason to correct those flaws,” Holtzclaw said. “I got a speed trainer and a strength trainer to go along with my quarterback coach. I feel so much more agile and fluid now, and I worked to fix some things mechanically as well.”
In February, Holtzclaw was named quarterback MVP in the Best of the Midwest Combine in Indianapolis. That showing earned him invitations to play in the Blue-grey All-american Bowl on Dec. 14 at AT&T Texas Stadium in Dallas and the Offense-defense All-american Bowl on Dec. 27 in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
Thus far, Holtzclaw’s only firm scholarships offers have come from Penn and Columbia, but programs such as Clemson, Ohio State, Florida, Notre Dame, Michigan State and Houston have invited him to games and/or indicated that he’s on their radar.
“Quarterbacks get recruited earlier and earlier now, and Judah is a little behind in the regard, and the (COVID-19) shutdown certainly didn’t help,” Westerville Central coach Brent Morrison said.
“He still has to show them all the little things they’re looking for, and he’s clearly worked hard in the offseason to improve his skills. … His motion is much quicker, he has sped up his reads, worked on his lower-body strength, and he is running the ball much better.
“The standard is to complete 70% (of passes) in our offense, and he achieved that last week.”
Because of Upper Arlington’s defensive scheme, Central leaned more on the run in a 28-23 opening win, but Holtzclaw did run for two touchdowns.
Central’s college-style, multiplelook offense is designed to spread defenses out horizontally with quick throws and jet sweeps to open up opportunities downfield.
“Our offense is a mixture of a lot of things, but it’s become easier to me,” Holtzclaw said. “My job is simple: I’m supposed to be a distributor and just let guys make plays out in space.
“Naturally, I love to throw the long ball, but I’ve worked hard on getting the ball out quicker and making effective short throws.”
Holtzclaw got the itch to play football by watching his brother, Dakota, emerge as a Division I college prospect. A late bloomer himself at Worthington Kilbourne, Dakota — a 6-7, 215-pound receiver/tight end — spent a season at Kentucky before transferring to Miami University.
Protected by a huge offensive line and surrounded with plenty of speedy athletes, Judah Holtzclaw has big expectations for the Warhawks.
“Except for one of the years Benny Snell was here (2014 regional finalist), this program hasn’t really made a deep playoff run,” he said. “We have all the potential to do that and be that team. Obviously, I feel like I have a lot to prove still, and our team has that mindset, too.” sblackledge@dispatch.com @Blackiepreps