Like father, like son for Taylor Graham

Born at Ohio State University's hospital, Taylor Graham literally has been a Buckeyes fan his entire life.

Eighteen years later, he'll follow in his father's footsteps and play football for one of the nation's top college programs.

After weighing eight scholarship offers, the Wheaton North senior quarterback has verbally committed to Ohio State to fulfill a lifelong dream.

"When they offered I was really shocked," said Graham, who is 6-feet-4, 210 pounds. "It took awhile for it to settle in. It was a tough decision, but I just feel real comfortable with it."

Graham, the son of former Ohio State and NFL quarterback Kent Graham, received offers from Michigan State, Iowa, UCLA and others before choosing the Buckeyes. Sealing the deal was last week's trip to Columbus, where Taylor and his father watched game tape to analyze the offense.

"We went there just to watch for a little while, but we ended up watching about five hours of tape," Taylor Graham said. "People think they just run a spread offense, but it's more like a pro system. That's the kind of fit I want.

"A lot of people think I chose Ohio State because of my dad, but that really had nothing to do with it," he said. "I had all the information on all the schools that offered me, and I was ready to make a decision."

Promoted to varsity his sophomore year, Graham played about half the season. He started the first five games of his junior season and threw for 469 yards and 6 touchdowns against only 1 interception but missed the rest of the campaign after suffering a broken ankle.

Now that he's fully recovered, Graham's ready to lead Wheaton North's football team this fall.

"I wanted to get the whole recruiting process done before my senior year," he said. "I wanted to put my complete focus on Wheaton North football."