Tajh Boyd, the 6-foot-1, 210-pound five-star quarterback from Phoebus High School in Hampton, Va., has been getting a lot of attention recently, primarily because of his impressive, co-MVP showing at the Army All-America game in San Antonio, Texas.
Boyd, ranked as the No. 4 quarterback in the country by Scout.com, completed seven of nine passes for 187 yards and three touchdowns. He shared Pete Dawkins Co-MVP honors with five-star running back and Miami commitment Bryce Brown (East High School in Wichita).
“The game was a lot of fun,” Boyd said. “I liked how cool everyone was. Nobody was arrogant or had an ego. They were all really cool and supportive and the level of competition was incredible. There were some big-time players there.”
Like who? “Well, Pat Patterson (three-star wide receiver from Noxubee County High School in Macon, Miss) really stood out,” he said. “Bryce Brown, of course, Willie Downs (four-star safety from Godby High School in Tallahassee, committed to Florida State), Corey Brown (four-star cornerback from Gateway High School in Monroeville, Pa., committed to Ohio State)…there were a lot of great players.”
One of the benefits of having such a terrific performance on a big stage is all the new attention that Boyd is now receiving. However, he says it may be too little, too late.
“A lot of new schools have been trying to jump on me and are trying to get me,” he said.
“I’ve got Michigan, Clemson and Kansas State all talking to me a lot right now,” Boyd said. “I wish it had come sooner though, because I’m really down to Oregon and Ohio State. They have the lead.”
Boyd already visited Oregon on Dec. 19 and Ohio State on Dec. 12, but says he may still visit Clemson on Jan. 9.
“I’m not absolutely sure about it,” he said. “I’ll know for sure later today. I’m not sure if I want to take another visit.
Tajh’s father, Tim, says the Clemson trip isn’t likely to happen, at least not immediately. “Tajh wants to enroll in college in March and he’s got a lot of on-line Internet work to get done this weekend,” Mr. Boyd said. “He might visit Clemson later, but not this weekend.”
Mr. Boyd thinks Oregon might have a slight lead over Ohio State. “They have a lot going for them. He wants to major in sports management, and they are good for that. Plus, they have the Nike thing…and Chip Kelly (offensive coordinator) is a genius as far as working with quarterbacks. I think Oregon would be in the lead and I’m fine with him going that far away. We could relocate there. I used to be in the military and I’m used to living in different places. If he chose Ohio State, we’d go to Ohio too,” Mr. Boyd explained.
“Clemson has come on real strong and the thing about them is their depth chart,” Tajh said. “They’ve got an immediate need for a quarterback and I could be the guy. Plus, I’ve heard that Death Valley is supposed to be amazing to play in.
“I really wish they’d come on earlier though,” he said. “Clemson isn’t that far away and I easily could have gone to a game or something during the season. If I visit Clemson, that’ll be my last trip.”
Boyd has also already visited West Virginia on Sept. 26 and Tennessee on Oct. 25, but is no longer considering the Mountaineers, nor the Vols.
In fact, new Tennessee head coach Lane Kiffin told Boyd that he wasn’t right for their offense. Has coach Kiffin changed his tune since the impressive All-America game performance?
“I think coach Kiffin may have called my coach or something,” Boyd said. “I haven’t talked to him. I think I may have opened a lot of eyes during the Army All-America game, but I’m not looking at Tennessee.
“I don’t want to bad mouth any program, but I think coach Kiffin should have waited to see me play before saying I didn’t fit his system,” he said. “But I wish them the best. I’m sure they’ll find the right quarterback for them.”
Another school that has fallen off Boyd’s radar is Boston College. “I was thinking about visiting them this month but now coach Jags (Jeff Jagodzinski) is gone,” Boyd said of the recent firing of the Eagles head coach.
“That’s shocking,” he said. “He’s a good coach, but I guess they had their issues. I don’t think I’ll be visiting them now.”
Michigan is another program that has come on strong of late, but Boyd refutes any rumors that the Wolverines are now one of his favorites. “They just started recruiting me hard not too long ago,” he said.
“They said they really need a quarterback and that I’d fit in really well and could play early,” he said. “I know it’s a big program, but I haven’t been looking into them much and don’t really know a lot about them or coach Rich Rodriguez. I’m really not considering them right now.”
Boyd says he’d like to make his decision soon and doesn’t want to complicate things. “I’d like to commit within the next two weeks,” he said. “I want to give the other schools a chance to find a quarterback,” he said. “I don’t think it would be fair to wait until signing day and keep them hanging. I’ll set up a small press conference and let everyone know. I don’t want to do anything big.”
So how does Boyd compare Oregon and Ohio State? “They are totally different programs,” he said.
“Oregon is more innovative,” Boyd said. “They have crazy uniforms, a crazy offense and are real exciting.
“Ohio State is all about tradition,” he said. “They have prestige and a great history.”
“Oregon has like three quarterbacks but I like my chances,” he said. “I’m a hard worker and I think I can outwork most players. I’d definitely be trying to compete right away.
“I really like the offense that Oregon runs and it would suit me pretty well,” Boyd said.
Like Oregon, Ohio State also has a few quarterbacks on their depth chart, not to mention their freshman phenom Terrelle Pryor. “Honestly, I believe I could compete with Pryor,” he said. “Coach Jim Tressel says that the best man will play.
“I think that Pryor is a great player, but I think I could do well too,” he said. “I like their offense and how they’ve developed him this season. I expect a lot from Ohio State next year.”
Although Boyd says it won’t have any effect on his decision, he calls the Buckeyes’ Fiesta Bowl loss to the Longhorns “heartbreaking.”
“Ohio State had their chances,” he said. “They couldn’t hold on. There was like 16-seconds left! That’s heartbreaking.”
Boyd plans to major in sports marketing or management and reports a 2.9 core GPA and a 18 ACT.