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Chick Ludwig covers the Cincinnati Bengals. He also writes about his other passions: college football, basketball and golf.Home > Blogs > Chick Ludwig At Large > Archives > 2009 > January > 28 > Entry
Kettering Alter QB Austin Boucher picks Miami RedHawks over Ohio State: ‘I love football … it’s my biggest passion’
COMPETITION LURES ALL-STATE QB
AUSTIN BOUCHER TO OXFORD, OHIO;
‘I HAVE A CHANCE TO THRIVE AT MIAMI’
THEY’RE NOT BOOING … THEY’LL YELLING
FOR BOUCHER (PRONOUNCED boo-SHAY)
It’s 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2009, and I’m on the telephone with Kettering Alter High School quarterback Austin Boucher, who plans to sign a national letter of intent to play his college football at Miami University in Oxford.
When I dialed him up, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect because his high school coach — Knights legend Ed Domsitz — had just told me that Ohio State coach Jim Tressel had called Boucher the night before with a scholarship offer from the Buckeyes.
Miami or Ohio State? What’s a quarterback to do?
“You tell me,” Boucher said. “It’s a tough situation. I’ll talk it over with the family and see what happens. I’ve got to weigh all my options and see how things play out.”
Austin’s twin brother, Collin — Alter’s senior linebacker who suffered a season-ending knee injury in the 2008 opener against Kettering Fairmont — had already committed to Miami. And that was a factor.
“Oh, heck yeah,” Austin said. “That has some influence, but at the same time it’s my decision, so I’m gonna do what I want to do. As tough as it is, I’ve got to do what’s best for me.”
Austin said he’d call me back between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. with his final decision. He didn’t wait long. He dialed me up about a half-hour later.
“I just got off the phone with coach Tress,” Austin said. “Nice guy. I told him what was up, how I was feeling and I’ve decided to stick with Miami.”
How tough was it to tell Jim Tressel no?
“It was really huge,” Austin said. “After I got the call last night when they offered me, I stayed up late going back and forth on what to do. I slept on it, prayed about it and then made my decision.
“It was definitely hard giving coach Tress a call, saying, ‘Thanks, but no thanks.’ But I’ve got to do what’s best for me. So in the end, it just came down to a selfish reason.”
An opportunity to play.
Not wanting to be buried behind OSU quarterback Terrelle Pryor, Boucher figured the best fit was Miami, where he’ll be a cornerstone for first-year head coach Mike Haywood, Notre Dame’s former offensive coordinator.
“Ohio State wouldn’t have offered me unless I could play at that level,” Boucher said. “That definitely gave me some confidence because I know I can play at that level. and it was just kind of reassuring.
“I know there’s competition wherever I go. But the opportunities at Miami are what best suit me. I have a great chance to thrive at Miami. It’s competitive through and through, and I’m excited about that.
“Coach Haywood is a class act. He’s a very disciplined guy, which I love. He’s a guy who will get the whole program back to where the tradition was. He’s also very personable. He’s exactly what every player wants in a coach.”
A 6-foot-1, 205-pounder, Boucher completed 129 of 191 passes (.675) for 1,702 yards, 22 TDs and three interceptions, and rushed 120 times for 892 yards in leading the Knights to the 2008 Division IV state championship.
“Austin does everything you would hope a quarterback would do,” Alter coach Ed Domsitz said. “He’s just got a great competitive attitude. He provides leadership, accuracy throwing the ball and good judgement. On top of everything else, he can run my wishbone. He’s just got all the tools.”
Twin brothers headed to the same school eases the pressure on their parents, Richard and Lisa Boucher.
“That’s awesome,” Austin said. “Being able to play Division I football with my brother will be quite a treat. He’ll rehab his knee for a year and I think at Miami you’ll see ‘Boucher’ on the jersey on both sides of the ball.”
IN ALTER COACH ED DOMSITZ’S WORDS:
“If there’s anything that drove me crazy about Austin, it’s that he always has the ball in his hands and he’s always throwing the ball. Whenever I look around, even inside a lot of times, if there’s a football, Austin’s got to have it in his hands. He never puts the football down. I have never had a kid just throw the ball as much as he’s thrown it in the four years in whatever situation. He’s out at practice early, throwing the football with whoever would go out there and catch it. He stayed after practice and threw. He does about everything you would hope a quarterback would do.”
AUSTIN BOUCHER AT-A-GLANCE
• School: Alter High School
• Year: Senior
• Position: Quarterback
• Ht./Wt.: 6-1, 205
• Birthday: March 21, 1990
• Full name: Austin Richard Boucher (pronounced boo-SHAY)
• Nickname: “A.B.”
• 2008 honors: Led the Knights to the Division IV state title … earned first-team All-State and tri-Division IV offensive player of the year honors with Dwight Macon (Steubenville) and Micah Hyde (Fostoria) … named co-GCL North Division player of the year with Alter tailback Chris Borland.
• “I love football. It’s my biggest passion.”
“AUSTIN BOUCHER’S FAVORITES”
• Stadium (other than Alter’s home field): “Fawcett Stadium in Canton.”
• Rival: “Fairmont.”
• Subject: “Science (chemistry).”
• Football team growing up: “Dallas Cowboys.”
• NFL player growing up: “Troy Aikman and Steve Young.”
• Restaurant: “Chipotle. You’ve gotta love Chipotle.”
• Meal: “My birthday dinner is where I get king crab, steak (filet mignon), twice-baked-cheesy potato and vanilla ice cream with fudge on top — just to wash it down. All props to my grandma.”
• Music and artist: “I’m big on rap. I like a lot of artists, but my favorite is Tupac Shakur.”
• Hobby: “Sports. Anything active. I’m big into basketball, video games, hanging out with friends and listening to music.”
• Late-night snack: “My famous bagel turkey sandwiches. Anytime I’m hungry, I don’t care if it’s 2 or 3 in the morning, I’ll come downstairs and make my own turkey bagel sandwiches. You toast it and get that crisp-crunch exactly the way you want; put some honey mustard on there; you get some maple honey turkey with some swiss cheese … it’s delicious.”
UNTIL NEXT TIME…
This is “The Chickster” saying, “Make Love, Not War; Give Peace a Chance; and Strawberry Fields Forever.”
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Permalink | Comments (5) | Post your comment | Categories: Preps
Comments
By bobs
January 29, 2009 3:18 PM | Link to this
I say this as a very proud Miami Redskin fan and follower of all Miami sports, but given the facts, if I were Boucher (notwithstanding the chance to get to play with my brother) would have gone to OSU. At Miami, he is at best the fourth string QB behind a redshirt sophomore and freshman. I think at OSU, he would have been three with a shot at two next year. One redshirt year and he would have only lost one year to Pryor. But, the very best to Austin and can not wait to see you in the Red and White. Go ‘skins!By Chuck Goodyear
January 29, 2009 3:59 PM | Link to this
Big Ben…Zach Dysert…and now Austin. It is quite obvious that Ohio State can not out-recruit Miami for good Ohio quarterbacks.By Will
January 30, 2009 8:09 AM | Link to this
I think he made the right choice. He would have warmed the bench at OSU.By Goodapplegal
January 30, 2009 8:50 AM | Link to this
Does sound a bit like the Ben Roethlisberger story. As a proud Miami alum I assume it also has something to do with the incredible education Boucher will receive while attending M.U. Whether he goes on to the NFL or not, he will leave the University with a degree that will open doors. And then there is the matter of getting to play at the Cradle of Coaches, but I digress.By Goodapplegal
January 30, 2009 8:51 AM | Link to this
Does sound a bit like the Ben Roethlisberger story. As a proud Miami alum I assume it also has something to do with the incredible education Boucher will receive while attending M.U. Whether he goes on to the NFL or not, he will leave the University with a degree that will open doors. And then there is the matter of getting to play at the Cradle of Coaches, but I digress.