Texas A&M quarterback Nick Starkel announced Tuesday that he intends to transfer and Ohio State is reportedly among his top options.
Starkel, who will be a junior in the 2019 season, is looking at Duke, Ohio State, SMU and Arizona, according to Travis L. Brown of MyAggieNation.com. The signal caller opted to make his intentions public now rather than participating in spring practice.
According to Brown, Starkel expects to be on his new campus by July 1.
Texas A&M QB Nick Starkel will hit the transfer portal any minute now & will not participate in spring practice, he said. Will complete 120 hours before July & should be on new campus July 1. Said he's looking at Duke, Ohio State, SMU & Arizona (former HC Kevin Sumlin).
— 𝕋𝕣𝕒𝕧𝕚𝕤 𝕃. 𝔹𝕣𝕠𝕨𝕟 (@Travis_L_Brown) January 23, 2019
Kid with a lot of character. Said he didn't want to participate in spring practice while school shopping behind the team's back. Was upfront and honest with Fisher.
— 𝕋𝕣𝕒𝕧𝕚𝕤 𝕃. 𝔹𝕣𝕠𝕨𝕟 (@Travis_L_Brown) January 23, 2019
Starkel originally signed with the Aggies as a three-star recruit out of Argyle (Texas) Liberty Christian in the 2016 class. He was the No. 523 overall player and No. 21 pro-style quarterback in his class.
The 6-3, 218 pounder split time with Kellen Mond as a redshirt freshman in 2017 before Mond, a former Ohio State target, took over full-time this season. In 2017, Starkel completed 123 of 205 passes for 1,793 yards with 14 touchdowns and six interceptions. In 2018 he was 15 of 22 for 169 yards and a score.
The Buckeyes, for their part, are down to just three scholarship quarterbacks for 2019 – sophomore Georgia transfer Justin Fields, redshirt freshman Matthew Baldwin and fifth-year senior Chris Chugunov, a former West Virginia transfer. Head coach Ryan Day prefers to keep four scholarship quarterbacks on the roster and adding Starkel would provide valuable depth and collegiate experience for a young room.
