Matt Ponatoski, Elite 11 quarterback and top-20 baseball prospect, discusses Alabama, Oregon recruitment

Andrew Nemec | Jun 1, 2025

Matt Ponatoski will try to lead Archbishop Moeller to the Division I Ohio state championship Friday, Dec. 6. / Michael Noyes

Archbishop Moeller (Ohio) two-sport athlete Matt Ponatoski is a top-20 prospect nationally in baseball as a shortstop/third baseman.

Early in his high school career, the 6-foot-1, 195-pound athlete believed the diamond would be where he made his future.

But that all changed after a stellar junior season on the gridiron.

Ponatoski led his team to an Ohio Division I state title, throwing for 4,217 yards and 57 touchdowns passes, sweeping the Ohio state player of the year awards in the process.

By spring, his recruitment soared and he added offers from Alabama and Oregon, who joined a host of earlier offers that included Arkansas, Duke, Kentucky, Louisville, Maryland, Michigan, Purdue, Texas A&M and others.

On this week's "Recruiting with Andrew Nemec" on 1080 The Fan, Ponatoski joined the show to discuss his budding interest in Alabama and Oregon and his plans as far as visits to each program.

The Ohio star said he intends to play both baseball and football in college and that Oregon's football and baseball coaches are both in a group chat with him as part of his recruitment.

Listen to the full interview here.

Here's what 247Sports had to say about Ponatoski as a football prospect:

"Stocky pocket passer with eye-popping production that brings accuracy and intelligence to the position. Can throw with both pace and touch. More importantly, can get the ball out fast and push the tempo. Moves like a middle infielder and will deliver some off-balance dimes, which makes sense seeing as how he’s a nationally-ranked shortstop that has drawn interest from MLB scouts. Flashes rare juice when targeting the first and second levels, but the ball can hang when he looks to go deep. Will stand his ground as pressure builds and drop the arm slot to throw around defenders, but isn’t the type of quarterback that’s going to create a ton of opportunities with his legs. Took a major step forward between sophomore and junior seasons, setting multiple school records as an 11th grader. Owns one of the better turnover ratios in the class, but long-term success is likely going to hinge on his ability to diagnose different coverages and hit his marks when the protection isn’t clean. Projects as a potential multi-year starter at the Power Four level that can fit into a variety of different systems with his quick set up and decision-making."

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