'10 IL QB Taylor Graham is a Buckeye!!!

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AMP: Graham representing the Bucks - Rivals.com Video

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Scout.com: Updated State Rankings: Illinois

Stocks Rising
These five have been moving up the charts

Taylor Graham - QB - Wheaton North
After an injury kept him out for a few games last year, Graham had a fabulous summer which ended with him committing to Ohio State.

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Illinois: 10 to Watch in Chicagoland Football This Season - MaxPreps Articles

TAYLOR GRAHAM, Wheaton North
Position: Quarterback
Height: 6-4
Weight: 211
College: Verbaled to Ohio State in June.
The skinny: Ohio State is in his blood, since his dad played there. Graham's BCS offers went from coast to coast, including Duke of the ACC and UCLA of the Pac-10. Graham is rated as one of the top 15 quarterback recruits nationally, by Rivals.com. Wheaton North finished just 5-5 last year while Graham fought off an injury, but he was impressive in camp this summer.
Key game: Oct. 16, at DuPage Valley defending champ Naperville North.

[Buckskin86]

QBs in the spotlight
Best label for area quarterback class: ?Deep?
August 27, 2009 BY ADAM L. JAHNS ajahns@suntimes.com


Lake Forest's Tommy Rees (upper left), Wheaton North's Taylor Graham (upper right), Downers South's Chandler Whiter (lower left) and Hinsdale Central's John Whitelaw are some of the top QBs in the area.
(Sun-Times News Group)

Wheaton North?s Taylor Graham as the prototypical pro-style quarterback, Downers Grove South?s Chandler Whitmer as the athletic dual-threat and Lake Forest?s Tommy Rees as the productive combination of both.

Labels, though, are the least of their concerns with the football season starting. If it were up to Whitmer, he?d throw them out the door as fast as he can hit a receiver running a quick slant.

??I don?t want to call myself a dual-threat,?? Whitmer said. ??I am a thrower that can run. I simply can make plays when the play breaks down.??

Perhaps the most befitting label for all of them is ??Division I player,?? since all committed to major college programs ? Graham to Ohio State, Whitmer to Illinois and Rees to Notre Dame. They head a talented Class of 2010 quarterbacks.

??This year is a real good year for quarterbacks [in the area],?? recruiting analyst Tom Lemming said. ??There?s a lot more.??

??It?s pretty exciting to know that I am part of such a talented group,?? said Graham, who impressed numerous colleges despite playing in only five games last year because of an ankle injury. ??There are a lot of good quarterbacks.??

Click on link to vote for Taylor...

QBs in the spotlight :: FOOTBALL :: YourSeason

[tonystarx]

I initially didn't know what to think about Taylor inheriting the job from Pryor mainly due to all the hype surrounding Braxton Miller since last year. But I'm liking the prospect of Taylor inheriting the throne from TP, leaving Braxton at least 2 years to start if he redshirts. Everything I hear about Taylor sounds great and not like a fall-back option as some made his recruitment sound in the beginning.

[cyberlincoln]

Wheaton North is in the unenviable position of playing in the DuPage Valley conference, a conference that is routinely dominated by Wheaton Warrenville South, Naperville North, and Naperville Central.

Wheaton Warrenville South is preparing for the tough conference by playing preseason no. 3 Hinsdale Central tonight and preseason no.2 Maine South next week in its out of conference games.

WWS is the Sun-Times preseason no.1 team. Naperville North is the preseason no. 7 team and Naperville Central is the preseason no. 18 team.

Wheaton North plays WWS, NN, and NC in 3 consecutive weeks near the end of the season.

Should Wheaton North make the playoffs, they'll certainly be well tested and prepared for the state run.

[Drep88]

http://football.dailyherald.com/story/?id=317489

"
Eleven months after a broken ankle cut short his junior season four-plus games in, Graham returned to throw for 160 yards and 2 touchdowns in Wheaton North's season-opening 23-7 win at Wheaton's Rexilius Field.
Another Graham run on a broken play, coming in the final minute of the first quarter, set up a score.
"I hope they're not nervous," Graham said with a smile, "because I like scrambling a little bit. I don't get a chance to do it a whole lot."
Graham had a big off-season, committing to play at Ohio State. This night was special, too.
"Ever since that night when I was in the emergency room and I found out my ankle was broke," Graham said, "I've been waiting for this day."
Graham guided the Falcons to touchdowns on two of their first three drives. He hooked up with Ben Murrow for a 17-yard crossing pattern and score. After a Kevin Farley interception, Graham's 11-yard run on third down set up a 1-yard Mekael Wesley touchdown run. Graham, who completed 14 of 26 passes, later found Murrow for a 20-yard score. Six receivers caught passes, Richard Finley 5 for 48 yards."

[Buckskin86]

Here is how they fared in Week 1:

TAYLOR GRAHAM, WHEATON NORTH


Performance: The Ohio State recruit led the Falcons to a 23-7 win over Addison Trail in its opener. Graham completed 14 of 26 passes for 160 yards and two touchdowns. Of the four QBs, he is the only one that was victorious.

Quote: "After breaking my ankle last year, I've been waiting for my senior season to start. ... It was a good start for us. Our goal is to get to six wins as fast as we can."

Up next: Graham and the Falcons host Lake Zurich, which lost to Fremd 10-7 in its opener. The Bears won the Class 7A state title in 2007 and run a 3-5-3 defense.

"We're not going to take Lake Zurich lightly,'' Graham said. "It's going to take a hard week of practice to get ready for them."

Monday Morning quarterbacks :: FOOTBALL :: YourSeason

[Buckskin86]

Wheaton North's Taylor Graham following dad's example
Wheaton North QB loves being Kent Graham's kid


Wheaton North's Taylor Graham has committed to Ohio State. (Mike Burley, Chicago Tribune / September 2, 2009)

Wheaton North senior quarterback Taylor Graham hadn't even reached kindergarten when he realized his dad's line of work was somewhat unique.

"I remember thinking, 'I'd like that job too,' " Graham said of eventually hoping to join his father, Kent, as an NFL quarterback. "When he would go to a different team, he would bring me into the locker room. That was the coolest part for me."

That perk aside, being Taylor Graham also comes with expectations to live up to. His father's football r?sum? is extensive, including a high school state championship at Wheaton North, playing collegiately at Notre Dame and Ohio State and 11 years in the pro ranks.

But rather than shy away from that legacy, Graham has learned to embrace a substantial upside.

"I feel like I'm cheating sometimes, having a dad like him to bounce things off," said Graham, who committed this summer to Ohio State. "He can teach me a lot; he's such a good guy to talk to about being a quarterback."

While genetics would have perhaps suggested otherwise, Graham only emerged as a top-flight recruiting target a few months ago. He played tight end and defensive end until 8th grade, admitting to being apprehensive to get beneath center because of the considerable responsibilities.

Graham's junior season was cut in half after he broke his left ankle in the fifth game of the year. The injury kept him from being able to furnish a full library of film for college coaches, and as recently as April, Graham was considering playing at Division III power Wheaton College, only blocks from his home.

A series of informal throwing sessions at the school in the spring, however, drew the interest of colleges such as UCLA, Arizona State, Purdue and Iowa, and offers from major programs began filtering in soon thereafter. Graham had always been a big Ohio State fan, but it wasn't until after he attended a camp in Columbus in mid-June that the Buckeyes extended a scholarship offer.

Wheaton North's Taylor Graham following dad's example -- chicagotribune.com

[FairfaxBuckeye]

Lake Zurich bounces back
By Jeff Newton | Daily Herald Correspondent
9/5/2009 12:27

Playing defense has become a tradition at Lake Zurich, and senior Andy Blechschmidt knows just what that tradition is all about.

"It's about making a play - making big plays," Blechschimdt said. "That's what we talk about every week in practice, making big plays every time we step on the field."

. . .

The task this week wasn't any easier for Blechschmidt and the defense. All they had to do was somehow slow down Falcon quarterback and Ohio State-bound senior Taylor Graham.

By disguising their defenses and forcing Graham to be uncomfortable most of the night, the Bears' defense held Graham and the Falcons to just 3 field goals and only 122 yards through the air.

. . .

"Lake Zurich is very good in the stack defense that they run," said Wheaton North coach Joe Wardynski. "They did some things in coverage, but I thought we had some chances that we didn't take advantage of."
The Falcons' first chance came on the fourth play of the game when junior Montrell Williams recovered a Lake Zurich fumble at the Bears 37. After getting down to the LZ 9-yard line, the drive ended with a 27-yard Steve Jones field goal.

. . .

Daily Herald's Football Focus 2009 | Lake Zurich bounces back

[Buckskin86]

Here is how they fared in Week 2:

TAYLOR GRAHAM, WHEATON NORTH

Performance: The Ohio State recruit was 14-for-30 for 143 yards in a 35-9 loss to Lake Zurich on Friday.

Up next: Graham and the Falcons (1-1) travel to West Chicago Friday for their first DuPage Valley conference game. West Chicago (0-2) has scored only 13 points in its first two games

Monday morning QBs :: FOOTBALL :: YourSeason

[Buckskin86]

Wheaton North 31, West Chicago 6: Standout quarterback Taylor Graham, an Ohio State recruit, was 10-for-19 passing for 113 yards and a touchdown for the Falcons (2-1, 1-0 DuPage Valley).

Friday's football roundup :: REGIONAL SPORTS :: YourSeason

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#OhioState 2010 verbal commitment Taylor Graham on Twitpic

[Buckskin86]

Wheaton North (2-2) played without quarterback Taylor Graham, who has orally committed to Ohio State University, due to a posterior cruciate knee ligament injury suffered against Lake Zurich in Week 2.

"He's out for a few weeks but we expect him back," Wardynski said. "He will play with a brace on and will be fine."

Daily Herald's Football Focus 2009 | Make that 3 straight shutouts for Glenbard N.

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SunTimes.com: Monday Morning QBs

TAYLOR GRAHAM, WHEATON NORTH
Performance: The Ohio State recruit did not play in a 32-0 loss to Glenbard North in a DuPage Valley game on Friday. Graham reportedly suffered a posterior cruciate ligament injury in Week 2.
Up next: Graham is expected to miss a couple of weeks due to the injury. The Falcons (2-2) head to West Aurora in Week 5.

cont...