We’ve been going through a series here at Buckeyes Wire. It’s a debate on which Ohio State football player is the best to wear specific jersey numbers, and we’re cruising along, now up to jersey No. 16 as we count down towards the hopeful start of college football in 2020.
Before we get into all the fun, here’s an update on where we stand with the jersey numbers we’ve debated to date:
Jersey No. 1 | Jersey No. 2 | Jersey No. 3 | Jersey No. 4 | Jersey No. 5 | Jersey No. 6 | Jersey No. 7 | Jersey No. 8 | Jersey No. 9 | Jersey No. 10 | Jersey No. 11 | Jersey No. 12 | Jersey No. 13 | Jersey No. 14 | Jersey No. 15 | Jersey No. 16
We’re all a little stir crazy from being locked down because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but as things begin to open, it’s still fun to debate Buckeye football history In the long, illustrious history of Ohio State football, there is sure to be some disagreement, but that only makes it more fun.
We will continue to keep going along his journey through the summer and will have the results of all of these surveys further down the road.
Next … Best Ohio State player to wear No. 17
And … The winner is …
You might be a little surprised here until we dig into the numbers. It’s also worth noting that there’s not a ton of all-time type players to choose from that wore the No. 17.
So, all that being said, our winner is former quarterback Todd Boeckman. Many view Boeckman as an immobile guy in the pocket that couldn’t get it done when it all mattered, but that’s not the full story.
Boeckman won the starting job after Heisman winner Troy Smith left the program in 2007 and quickly threw for 2,375 yards and 25 touchdowns. He eventually was named an All-Big Ten first-teamer. Not bad for a first-year starter. That year also resulted in Ohio State finding its way to the BCS National Championship Game in New Orleans where it lost to LSU.
Because of a redshirt, and then a gray shirt, Boeckman entered his senior season in 2008 as a sixth-year guy but eventually lost the starting job to a freshman by the name of Terrelle Pryor.
All in all, despite an up and down career, Boekman finished his career with the fourth-most touchdowns thrown (25), and best completion percentage (63.4 percent) in a season for an Ohio State quarterback. That has since changed, but it was still a solid, solid season.
Jerome Baker, Chris Sanders, and Jalin Marshall make the honorable mention here, but nobody really comes too close to the pick of Boeckman as the best to don No. 17.
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