When Verlon Reed takes the field for the Buckeyes, he’ll be carrying more than just the weight of his pads.

The All-State quarterback from Marion Franklin carries the weight of many future city-league athletes on his shoulders.

During the Jim Tressel era, recruits from city-league schools, such as Marion Franklin, have been few and far between.

“It’s been a while since a Columbus public school student-athlete went to Ohio State to play football,” said Brian Haffele, football coach at Marion Franklin. “Verlon knows if he does well, he opens the door for other city league kids to possibly attend [and play at] Ohio State.”

That might seem like an enormous amount of pressure for someone who has yet to graduate high school, but Haffele believes Reed has the right personality to bear that kind of weight.

“He’s a good, high-character kid,” Haffele said.

Haffele praised Reed for his abilities both on and off the field and believes Reed can serve as an ambassador for future athletes that come from a similar background.

When Reed isn’t showcasing his talents on the football field or the basketball court, he dedicates his time to doing community service. And while Reed might blend in when helping out in the community, he’s a standout on the field.

The multi-sport star went 22-4 as quarterback in his high school career and it’s easy to see why. At 6-feet-3-inches, Reed has good size for a quarterback. He also possesses great speed and agility.

“He’s a tremendous athlete. Obviously if you’re going to Ohio State you have to be a tremendous athlete,” Haffele said. “He’s one of the top three players I’ve ever coached. The other two played at Minnesota, and they’re both playing in the NFL right now.”

Haffele went on to say that Reed is by far the best quarterback he’s ever coached. But while Reed wants to play quarterback at Ohio State, it’s believed that he might make the switch to defensive back, which he also played at Marion Franklin.

Haffele said he believes Reed will get a chance to play quarterback at OSU, but believes there may be even another position he could play for the Buckeyes.

“He can play defensive back or safety, but honestly if he’s not playing quarterback I see him playing wideout,” Haffele said.

While debate continues about where Reed will fit in on Tressel’s squad, there is one thing Kevin Noon, managing editor of Buckeyegrove.com, says is for sure.

“Verlon is a playmaker. He makes things happen and you can’t have enough guys like that,” Noon said. “I know that’s a football cliché but he really is that guy that will make things happen on the field.”

When an athlete like Reed steps onto campus, fans instantly want to draw comparisons to the likes of current OSU quarterback Terrelle Pryor. While Reed wasn’t as highly sought after as Pryor, Noon says they do compare in at least one respect.

“The one place you can say they are similar is that they’re both very athletic kids,” Noon said. “It’s always good to have a kid like that coming into your program that you can plug into one of many different spots.”

Reed himself aspires to be more like former Buckeye great Troy Smith. Reed idolized Smith during his playing days at OSU and says that’s the kind of player he wants to be. If Reed has a career anywhere close to that of the most recent Buckeye to hoist the Heisman Trophy, then Buckeye fans have a lot to look forward to.