Anthony Wayne's Grant Kinnee part of generational group of northwest Ohio QBs

There’s been a run on northwest Ohio quarterbacks. And Anthony Wayne’s Grant Kinnee is next in line.

Coaches from across the Midwest flowed into northwest Ohio on Tuesday for the Toledo Area College Day, a two-day showcase for high school football talent. At 3:35 p.m., representatives from more than three dozen schools, including Indiana, Cincinnati, and nearly the entire Mid-American Conference stood nearfield at AW’s Schaller Memorial Stadium to watch Kinnee go through passing drills.

“I felt like I threw pretty good,” Kinnee said. “There were a few balls that came off my hand a little eh, but I thought all around it went good. My wide receivers helped me out a ton. Shout out to them. They had great routes and everything, made me look good. I thought it was a great experience all around.”

The 6-foot-3, 195-pound class of 2025 dual-threat QB has two offers — Bowling Green and Grand Valley State. But his stock is rising. Last month, Kinnee competed in the Elite 11 Regionals at Upper Arlington alongside Ohio State commit Tavien St. Clair, Clay’s Mason Heintschel, who committed to Pitt in March, and Whitmer’s Brady Ford, who has offers from Bowling Green, Central Michigan, and Grand Valley State.

Kinnee, Heintschel, Ford, and Georgia commit Ryan Montgomery (Findlay) all compete in the Northern Lakes League Buckeye Division.

“Going out there and competing against guys that have these big Power 5 offers like that St. Clair kid that’s going to Ohio State, it tells you a lot about yourself,” Kinnee said. “It tells you what you need to do to actually get to that level. It was definitely an eye-opener to tell myself to push harder because there are definitely kids out there better than me, and there always will be, so I’ve always got to put that work in.”

This was the fifth Toledo Area College Day. It took place at nine high schools over two days, allowing college coaches to watch players go through drills, almost like a mini combine, and have conversations with them. Coaches from the Big Ten, SEC, Big 12, and MAC were in northwest Ohio, as well as those from FCS, Division II, Division III, and NAIA.

Coaches are given packets with detailed information on prospective recruits — height, weight, GPA, standardized test scores, contact info, ACT scores, contact information, playing statistics, and links to highlight videos.

“Kids can potentially fall through the cracks, but you can get 60, 70 coaches out here to watch them in person. It does wonders just to promote what they can do and their ability and give the eyeball test of, are we willing to offer this kid?” Anthony Wayne coach Andy Brungard said.

“[Players] come out here and they’re like, ‘I’m kind of nervous. I didn’t know there’d be this many coaches.’ So for these guys, just to feel the excitement of having 60 to 100 guys out here valuing them is awesome. It helps get other kids noticed.”

What got Kinnee noticed was his ability to get the football down the field and extend plays with his legs. He threw for 1,600 yards and ran for 1,200 last season, with seven 100-yard games. Kinnee completed 55 percent of his passes with 23 touchdowns and five interceptions. He averaged nearly 10 yards per carry.

A strike against Kinnee was of no fault of his own. He suffered a season-ending ankle injury after leading the Generals to statement wins over Findlay and St. John’s Jesuit during the first two weeks of the 2022 season. A sophomore and junior season on film would have increased his value entering this summer.

“What he can do to maximize his value is really stand tall in the pocket and beat teams with his arm and his head,” said Jared Luginbill, a scout for Prep Redzone Ohio. “We know he has the legs. He can athletically make plays. I think that’s going to serve him well at the next level. Coaches now as much as ever want to see the ability to do both.”

Some schools are recruiting Kinnee as an athlete. His goal is to play quarterback, but he won’t close any doors on playing college football. If his best option is as an athlete or defensive back, Kinnee will switch positions.

Counting him out is a risk.

“I view him as whatever he wants to be,” Brungard said. “And he and I have had that conversation. I know he has a strong desire to be a quarterback, and we’ve always supported that. And if that’s what he wants, that’s what we’ve seen him as. When coaches come out here, [I tell them] this kid can play QB as a decision maker, as a competitor.”