Correction appended.
Editors' Note: This story has been updated to reflect the version that appeared in our weekly print edition.
Two medicine balls sag from the metal chain-link propping them on a hook. Above the balls reads “ONLY THE STRONG SURVIVE” in bold, capitalized ink.
This is Greg Windham’s right bicep — the right bicep of Ohio’s new starting quarterback.
This is right bicep of a man who was once dismissed from the football team. It’s the arm of a man who beat out his teammate when another left the team for health concerns.
Football isn’t a matter of life or death for Windham, but the words etched out on his flesh describe the resurrection of his career.
***
Up to this point in his career, Windham has been the forgotten quarterback on the Ohio depth chart. He was suspended indefinitely in 2013 when he plead guilty to one count of aggravated trafficking of drugs, according to previous Post reports.
He eventually rejoined the team, but he became a perennial backup, first behind Tyler Tettleton, then behind Derrius Vick and JD Sprague.
When the Bobcats had a two-man quarterback battle between Vick and Sprague last season, it was Windham who sat on the outskirts watching his teammates.
“Last year I had a lot of doubt,” Windham said. “I was just low.”
But that was last year, and the current redshirt senior quarterback said he has never felt more refreshed.
He said that comes from his growing belief in God; it also comes from his coaches’ growing belief in him, too.
Windham was named the starter last Friday as fall camp closed. And as of Sept. 3, the Bobcats will enter a season without a quarterback battle — something co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Scott Isphording said has never happened in his three seasons at Ohio.
Initially, there was an open competition for quarterback, but that sweepstakes closed last week when Sprague, who sat out all of spring practice with a upper-body injury, left the team because of health concerns.
“One big piece of the puzzle is no longer one big piece of the puzzle,” Isphording said. “And that’s OK.”
So if Windham is a piece, here’s what Isphording is shape shifting with: a stout 6-foot-1, 215-lb. quarterback who can bulldoze through defenders as a power runner while having the arm strength and velocity of a starting pitcher. (He gave up pitching at 14, but could already throw in the mid-80s.)
Although Windham lacks the elusiveness to slip out of the pocket like Sprague did, he’s as dangerous on an option run with any of Ohio’s handful of running backs as he is with a deep ball to one of his veteran receivers.
“Greg can do a lot of things for you.” Coach Frank Solich said during fall camp. “Greg has the capabilities to be an excellent passer. He’s got a strong arm. …In terms of running the football, he’s a big, strong player. Maybe you can run him a little bit more than you’d run some other quarterbacks.”
That sort of flexibility should help Ohio. For starters, with Sprague sidelined during the spring, Windham was able to take the first-team snaps with the running backs and receivers.
“We’ve had the chemistry with Greg,” said Jordan Reid, a redshirt senior wide receiver. “Greg’s gon’ be what we need him to be this year.”
Windham will have Reed, Sebastian Smith and Brendan Cope as his wideouts, who combined for 14 of Ohio’s 18 receiving touchdowns a year ago. Troy Mangen, a tight end who missed all of last season due to injury, will also be at Windham’s disposal.
But even if the passing game struggles at times — Windham only threw one touchdown in 2015 — the bulk of offensive play calls will favor the running game.
With elusive backs between A.J. Ouellette, Dorian Brown and Papi White, the offense should be able to catch opposing defenses confused with play-action passing — especially if Windham can run too.
“He’s earned it,” Solich said of his new starting quarterback. “It’s a big moment for him. There’s probably a lot of weight lifted off his shoulders. It’s weight lifted off ours.”
If he has earned it, now it’s up to Windham to see what he makes of it.
“I’m pumped, man,” he said. “Y’all gon’ see something. I promise you that.”
Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly spelled Greg Windham's name in the headline. Additionally, a previous version of this article incorrectly stated the location of Windham's tattoo. The tattoo is on his bicep. The story has been updated to show the most accurate information.
