COLUMBUS, Ohio – Danny Clark's Friday Night Lights workout was over, so he walked off the Ohio Stadium turf toward the railing on the west side of the stadium to shake hands with fans and pose for a few pictures.

It's too easy to forget that he just turned 16 in May. He was born in 1998.

There's an aura of maturity about him. He's confident, yet humble. Talented, yet raw. Booming with potential, but again, so young.

He's the only type of person who could earn a scholarship offer and commit to Ohio State as a freshman. Clark is a quarterback, too, and don't forget how particular Urban Meyer is with quarterback recruiting.

All it takes to understand how all that could happen is to meet Clark once. Meyer probably forgets he's 16. You would, too.

"He knows how good I am going to be," Clark said. "I'm not dogging myself now and saying I'm not that good, but he knows what it's going to be like in 2017.

"We're going to accomplish big things together."

Find another 16-year-old who sounds like that. He's confident, not arrogant – exactly the way Ohio State's quarterback of the future has to be.

And Clark, a 6-foot-3, 200-pound prospect, is still growing. There's still three more years of high school football for the Massillon (Ohio) Washington quarterback.

"I special to be in this situation," Clark said. "It's a blessing."

It'll be easy to lose track of Clark during the next three years as he takes a backseat to other new recruiting headlines. Even at Friday Night Lights in front of nearly 10,000 fans, Clark wasn't the center of attention.

The quarterback everyone was watching was four-star prospect Torrance Gibson of Plantation (Fla.) American Heritage. Gibson is one of the best prospects in 2015 and he said Saturday that Ohio State is his leader. He's newer than Clark, closer to college football. Therefore it's easy to get excited.

But think about what Meyer has in Clark. One of the brightest young quarterbacks in the country already completely committed to the program. Ohio State has its quarterback of 2017 and beyond, and he's a program-altering player.

And as Clark was throwing next to Gibson – intentionally trying to put on a show because he knew fans were paying attention – he found that his skillset was already consistent with one of the best in the 2015 class.

"I don't run a 4.40 40 (yard dash)," Clark said with a smile while briefly comparing himself to Gibson, "but I threw as well as anyone out there."

Clark will continue to roam the sidelines every Saturday, shaking hands, taking pictures and wearing his patented visor. His presence won't be a story, but it makes for plenty of security for Ohio State's future.

Don't forget that.