5-Star Advice: Justin Zwick
From the book "5-star QB", Q&A with the former Ohio State QB who was a member of their 2002 BCS National Championship squad
There have been 140 quarterbacks in the history of recruiting who were dubbed ‘5-Star QBs.’ While only 1 of those won a Super Bowl and only 20 were drafted in the first round all of those signal callers can offer brilliant insight and advice. Some may be deemed busts by fans, some are transitioning out of football and some are currently playing on Saturdays and Sundays but all have a story and over 50 of them have shared with us some of their most intimate insights into their path from high school to retirement, and everything in between.
In addition, another 50 ambassadors of the game have offered their advice to anyone going through the process of recruiting and quarterback play and their expertise is second to none.
Each week we will take you inside the minds of those who play quarterback, coached quarterbacks or covered quarterbacks at the highest level and our goal is that the stories shared will impact how you view the game. After all, the goal of Y-Option is to bring thoughtful conversation to the world of college football, through the lens of the West Coast.
This week’s contributor of “5-Star Advice” is former Ohio State quarterback Justin Zwick. From the legendary Massillon Washington High School, the winningest HS football team in Ohio that’s known for alumni like Paul Brown & Don James, Zwick was the the #3 Pro Style QB in the Class of 2001 and an Elite 11 Finalist. He stayed in state and signed with Ohio State, redshirting as a true freshman as the team won the 2002 BCS National Championship. After sitting behind Craig Krenzel, Zwick began the 2004 season as the team’s starter for the first 6 weeks before suffering an injury and opening the door for Troy Smith to take over as the starter. Following his career with the Buckeyes, Zwick had mini-camp invites with the Colts and Panthers before signing with the Columbus Destroyers of the Arena Football League. Zwick is now an insurance agent in the Columbus area.
From the book “5-Star QB: It’s Not About the Stars, It’s About the Journey”….
When did you get your first scholarship offer?
My first scholarship offer came from the University of Kentucky. My high school (Massillon Washington) did a team camp in Lexington before my junior year. Hal Mumme was the coach and the Hefty Lefty (Jared Lorenzen) was their current QB. I had a great showing throughout the camp and 7-on-7 games, and as the camp came to an end, they told me I had an offer to play there. It was an exciting time in Lexington with the Air Raid offense — Tim Couch had just left, I believe, and it was awesome to get that first one.
What schools offered you prior to being ranked 5-Star?
I’m not exactly sure when I became a 5-Star, but I had most of my offers come in that junior year at Massillon. I eventually committed to OSU in the May of my junior year, so that fall/spring was a busy one with coaches coming into the school to talk. I had narrowed my top 5 down pretty early on in the process after taking a lot of winter visits. Miami, Tennessee, Pitt, Michigan and Ohio State were who I narrowed my focus on and had great relationships with coaches from each school.
What was your body of work as a player before being ranked a 5-Star QB?
I started all 4 years in high school — 2 years at a division 4 school, Orrville, and 2 years at Massillon Washington, which was a division 1 school (largest for Ohio). Pre- internet, so the numbers are hard to be exact on, but my best guesses would be these.
Freshman year: We won a state title and I threw the game-winning TD pass at the end of the game. That is where a lot of my buzz started, I’m sure. I finished with probably somewhere around 1,400 yards passing, 16 or so TDs.