Petrino, Van Horn May Find Themselves Locked in Battle to Land Mr. Ohio

Hogs' hope to get in on 2026 quarterback with several Power Four offers, off to late start behind baseball staff

Matt Ponatoski eyes a touchdown pass for Moeller during the OHSAA Division I football regional semifinals Nov. 15, 2024, at Dwire Field in Mason, Ohio. | Geoff Blankenship for The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas Razorbacks offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino has always had an eye on quarterbacks who can sling it around the yard, but he might find himself in an in-house fight with a coach equally as prominent among Hogs fans as he is.

After multi-sport star Matt Ponatoski dropped in from Ohio to take a look at the baseball program and meet with coach Dave Van Horn, Petrino took note that a prominent quarterback happened to be wandering around campus and convinced head football coach Sam Pittman to make an offer.

The Cincinnati native had a breakout junior campaign to become Mr. Football in Ohio and the state's Gatorade Player of the Year among many other postseason honors. Ponatoski completed 70% of his passes in 2024 for 4,217 yards and 57 touchdowns which were both school records at Archbishop Moeller High School.

Ponatoski's visitvwith the Arkansas baseball program earlier this week left him with glowing reviews. It wasn't until he stepped on campus that Pittman and Petrino took notice of his gridiron skills.

"The [Razorbacks] offer was very cool because I was on a baseball official visit when I got my football offer," Ponatoski said. "The baseball program has success in the SEC which is arguably the best conference in the whole country so they are good at what they do."

‘26 IF/RHP @mattponatoski

Standout bat spd+strength in 6’2, 200 frame. Momentum hitter uses lwr half to attack⚾️out front, leading 2 high EV outputs. Unique barrel tip creates more driving force than typical into swing. One of best 2 ways in U.S. (92-93 T94, future + CB). 4⭐️QB pic.twitter.com/OVIMKH3g0e

— Justin Goetz (@JGoetzBaseball) January 15, 2025

With Arkansas' success in baseball, Ponatoski is very interested playing for a nationally relevant program capable of going to Omaha annually.

"It was the first time I had seen Coach Pittman and Coach Petrino and all of the baseball staff like Coach Van Horn and his staff," Ponatoski said. "They were very transparent and up front about the two sport potential."

Since the conclusion of his team's regular season, scholarship offers have trickled in weekly as Duke, Maryland, Duke, Kentucky, Texas A&M, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech and Arkansas have made inquiries since Dec. 5, 2024. Despite already having fellow 2026 passer Jayvon Gilmore already in the fold, the Razorbacks could take another quarterback in this class similar to how they did in 2025.

HOGS FEED:

• Van Horn heaps praise on potential X-factor on Razorbacks pitching staff

• Has retention become more critical for Razorbacks than recruiting?

• Hogs-'Horns up next but can't match showdowns of the past

• Four-game stretch will cause Hogs to do or die in 2025

• Iredale Getting Adjusted to SEC, Razorbacks' Pitching

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