Ohio State is adding quarterback Gunnar Hoak, a graduate transfer from Kentucky.
Hoak, who last week entered the transfer portal, announced Saturday on Twitter that he had accepted an offer to join the Buckeyes. He’s set to graduate from Kentucky next week and will have two years of eligibility remaining.
Ohio State needed a quarterback after redshirt freshman Matthew Baldwin entered the transfer portal earlier this month. Hoak redshirted at Kentucky in 2016, did not play any games in 2017 and appeared in five games last season, completing 13 of 26 passes for 167 yards and two touchdowns. Sophomore Justin Fields, a transfer from Georgia, is expected to start for Ohio State this season.
“Ever since I was born at OSU hospital, some aspect of my life has always involved scarlet and gray,” Hoak wrote in his Twitter post. “And while I have gained so much experience during my time in Lexington, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to continue a family legacy.”
Among Hoak family members who played at Ohio State were his father, Frank; uncle Fred Pagac; and cousin Fred Pagac Jr. The elder Pagac was an assistant coach at Ohio State from 1978 to 2000 before beginning a lengthy run in the NFL, most recently as Denver Broncos outside linebackers coach in 2017. Fred Pagac Jr. was a reserve linebacker who played for Ohio State’s national championship team in 2002.
Gunnar Hoak grew up near Ohio State’s campus but was not offered a scholarship following his career at Dublin Coffman High School.