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For Division I prospects such as Tri-Valley junior Nathan Strock, picking a college usually is arduous.

But much like the route of his football career, he took little time to get to the point.

Strock, a 6-4, 190-pound dual-threat quarterback, issued a verbal commitment Sunday to Kent State, where he hopes to compete for the starting quarterback job as a freshman.

He had plenty of interest, including fellow Mid-American Conference schools Ohio and Toledo as well as Indiana. He was scheduled to visit Indiana, where he expected an offer, but will not after informing the Golden Flashes coaching staff of his intentions.

Strock spoke with head coach Darrell Hazell, a former Ohio State assistant, on Monday.

"It just felt like home to me," Strock said. "It's close to home, and I have the opportunity to play as a freshman and possibly be a captain. The coaches told me I have a real good chance of going in there and playing right away."

He had drawn interest from the Kent State coaches since early in his junior year.

"They had been on me a lot, but they're obviously not allowed to talk very much because of recruiting rules," Strock said. "I'm really excited and happy with my decision. I just think it's the right place for me."

Getting it out of the way early was a priority.

"I didn't want this dragging out," Strock said. "I'm going into my senior year of football, and I didn't want to have to worry about it. I didn't want that burden."

Tri-Valley coach Justin Buttermore, whose program also produced two Division I line prospects in Adam Bice and Ryan Spiker, was happy with Strock's decision.

Strock might be the most talented player he has coached.

"It's definitely an advantage, him signing early," Buttermore said. "Some players think they might get a better offer or look for greener pastures. If you find a place you like, it's best to decide early."

Buttermore knows producing Division I football players doesn't happen often.

"It's difficult to do in this day and age," Buttermore said. "Scouts are looking at a player's height and weight, 40 times, their combine numbers and not their accomplishments."

As a junior, Strock was 96-of-164 passing for 1,909 yards with 23 touchdowns and five interceptions in the regular season, and rushed for 549 yards and six TDs. He also started two years at free safety.

His goals for his senior year go beyond the field.

"I want us to defend our (Muskingum Valley League) title and go farther in the playoffs," Strock said. "But more than that, we're going to have a lot of young guys stepping into key roles this year, and I want to do everything I can to help make their transition as easy as possible. I want to be the best leader I can be."

That is another trait that makes Strock a special talent.

"He's been a great player for the past two years," Buttermore said. "I've been fortunate to have several quarterbacks, like Cam West and Clay Cameron, and we've got Austin Jones, who might be the best player Tri-Valley has ever had. So there's been a lot of cases. But it's especially great to have it at the quarterback position. Good players give you the chance to have a good team."