Quarterback Chris Chugunov has officially joined the Ohio State football team, the Buckeyes announced Saturday afternoon.
Chugunov, a West Virginia graduate transfer, will have two years of eligibility remaining while he works on a master’s degree in hospitality management. The 6-1, 203 pounder from Skillman (N.J.) Montgomery will wear No. 4 for the Buckeyes.
Chris Chugunov.
He enrolled at West Virginia back in 2015 before redshirting his freshman season. Chugunov played in eight games with the Mountaineers, including two starts last season in place of Will Grier, completing 45 of 95 passes for 551 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions.
The addition of Chugunov provides depth for the Buckeyes as they enter the season with just two healthy scholarship quarterbacks on the roster – starter Dwayne Haskins and backup Tate Martell. Freshman Matthew Baldwin is close to 100 percent, but has spent the past several months recovering from a January knee surgery.
In hindsight, it seems clear that Urban Myer’s relationship with coach Zack Smith was more father-son than employer – employee. He confronted and counseled Smith for inappropriate behaviors, but did not disown him. Having known coach Smith from a young age and his being the grandson of Earl Bruce seems to have biased his judgment. However, coaches often give their players second and sometimes third chances as they attempt to correct problematic behaviors and set them on a path to successful lives. Perhaps this philosophy was also a factor. Me Too advocates want their pound of flesh, and appropriately so in many cases. But don’t they also want a culture change that makes physical and emotional abuse less likely? Urban Myer believes women should be treated fairly and respectfully. Firing Smith in 2015 would have made his ex-wife happy, but would not have changed his behavior. More likely, it would have intensified his hostility because she had ended his career. Urban Myer was trying to change Zack Smith’s values and behaviors. It did not work, but he tried. President Drake then had a difficult decision to make that was sure to offend both supporters and critics. I personally believe he made a balanced decision.