SYCAMORE TOWNSHIP, Ohio — Moeller 2026 star dual-sport athlete Matt Ponatoski announced his verbal commitment to play football and baseball at the University of Kentucky on Sunday night.
Ponatoski is the reigning Ohio Mr. Football recipient and Gatorade Ohio High School Football Player of the Year as quarterback on the Moeller football team. He won the Gatorade Ohio High School Baseball Player of the Year award as a shortstop and pitcher this past season. He also considered Alabama, Arkansas and Oregon as his finalists for baseball and football.
Ponatoski has consistently said he plans to play baseball and football in college.
"I'm fascinated at the idea," Ponatoski told WCPO 9 Sports in February. "I never want to be normal. The situation I'm in is not very normal. I'm embracing every second of it."
Ponatoski's announcement Sunday night completes a significant step in his much-publicized college recruiting process.
More than 30 college football programs visited Moeller during the NCAA's recruiting contact period in January. Ponatoski was able to throw a football for some of the college coaches who visited.
"It was really cool to be talking to people on the phone and then you got head coaches coming in here," Ponatoski said in February. "You're just chit-chatting with them. You're like, 'Oh, I see them on TV.'"
Ponatoski, who turned 17 in March, is grateful for the support he received during the college recruiting process.
"It's amazing how he handled it," Moeller football coach Bert Bathiany said. "I'm just really proud of him."
Moeller baseball coach Tim Held said Ponatoski tried to find the right balance between the baseball and football programs and where he fits in best at one school.
"He handled the recruiting process like he does everything - very calm and diligent in talking to schools and coaches in both sports to find the best fit," Held said. "It is incredibly impressive for him to sign as a dual-sport athlete at a Power 4 school. He has handled it all with such grace and continued to produce at the highest level on the football and baseball fields."
Ponatoski is the only individual to win Gatorade Player of the Year state honors for football and baseball in Ohio, let alone win the awards in the same school year, according to the Gatorade program.
In late June, Ponatoski was named a Buddy LaRosa’s High School Sports MVP for the 2024-25 school year along with Purcell Marian’s Dee Alexander.
Ponatoski, a four-star quarterback, participated in the Elite 11 Finals last week at Mira Costa High School in Manhattan Beach, Calif.
"He's unbelievable," Bathiany said this past football season. "I get to see that every day in practice. He's unbelievable. He's the best player in Ohio in my mind. He absolutely is."
In 2024, Ponatoski was 281 for 405 in passing attempts for 4,217 yards and 57 touchdowns for the Crusaders, according to Moeller Assistant Athletic Director George Smith. Ponatoski had 30 carries for 9 yards and a touchdown, too.
Ponatoski helped to lead Moeller (14-2) to the Division I state final Dec. 6, 2024 at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton. Moeller completed its season as the Division I state runner-up.
In baseball, Ponatoski hit .440 with four home runs, seven doubles, one triple and 38 runs batted in this past season, according to the Greater Catholic League website. Ponatoski had 12 stolen bases, too. He had a .538 on-base percentage.
The Moeller baseball team (25-4) was a Division I regional finalist.
Last week, Ponatoski was named to the 2025 MaxPreps All-America Second Team.
Ponatoski was named in February as the No. 16 best baseball player in his class by Baseball America. He was rated Ohio's No. 1 baseball player by Prep Baseball Ohio this past spring.
Moeller opens its football season against visiting Princeton Aug. 23. The 4 p.m. Saturday game is scheduled to be played at West Clermont.
