2026 4-star QB Matt Ponatoski named Gatorade Ohio Football Player of the Year

After quarterbacking Cincinnati Archbishop Moeller to an Ohio Division I state championship game appearance, 2026 four-star QB Matt Ponatoski has been named the Gatorade Ohio Football Player of the Year.

In his junior season for the Crusaders, Ponatoski threw for over 4,000 yards and 56 touchdowns with just three interceptions.

He led Moeller to the Division I state title game, where the Crusaders fell to Powell (Ohio) Olentangy Liberty. Ponatoski was 16-of-30 for 112 yards and one passing touchdown.

Moeller finished the 2024 season with a 14-2 record. The state championship against Olentangy Liberty was Moeller’s lone loss to an Ohio team this season. Along the way, the Crusaders picked up notable wins over Lakewood (Ohio) St. Edward, Princeton (Ohio) and Cincinnati St. Xavier (twice).

Ponatoski is also a nationally-ranked shortstop prospect in baseball.

Matt Ponatoski Recruit Profile

The 6-foot-2, 190-pound Ponatoski is the nation’s No. 440 overall prospect in the 2026 cycle according to the On3 Industry Ranking — a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He is the No. 30 quarterback in the class and the No. 21 recruit from the state of Ohio.

But, On3 is significantly higher on Ponatoski than the other major recruiting services. In the latest release of the 2026 On300, he rose to four-star status ranked No. 109 overall. Per On3, Ponatoski is the No. 8 quarterback and No. 6 Ohio recruit in the cycle.

On3 Director of Scouting and Rankings had this to say about Matt Ponatoski in October.

“Matt Ponatoski has seen his recruitment take off in football as a junior and he’s having a fantastic season, playing top competition at Moeller High in Cincinnati. His film as a passer is up there with the best we’ve watched so far in this junior season. He’s just dicing teams up, showing good arm talent, the ability to make throws to multiple levels, throwing with touch and accuracy. He has an interesting background. He’s considered an elite baseball prospect, the No. 1 baseball prospect in Ohio, has over 40 offers.

“I think he’s going to have a lot of options in football once he starts to gain traction with college coaches based on how he’s played to this point. His production as a passer is among the best we’ve seen in this cycle and I think he has the look of a national prospect at QB, based off the film and what he’s done so far this fall.”