Hulne: Blooming Prairie grad Ohm is making his mark with Cedar Rapids Titans
Published 9:14 pm Monday, April 14, 2014
Blooming Prairie grad Spencer Ohm still loves playing football, and he may be able to keep playing it for awhile.
Ohm is playing quarterback for the Cedar Rapids Titans of the Indoor Football League and he’s starting to hit his stride. After having mixed results with the Green Bay Blizzard in the IFL a year ago, Ohm was contemplating walking away from football when he suffered a shoulder injury at the end of the season.
But a trade to the Titans (5-1 overall) has reinvigorated Ohm and he’s now leading one of the top offenses in the IFL. Cedar Rapids is ranked second in the IFL with 50 points per game.
Ohm has done a lot of his damage by running the read-option. He’s thrown for 736 yards, 15 TDs and 5 interceptions and he’s run for 271 yards (5.4 per carry) and 8 TDs in six games.
“It took a few weeks to get timing and chemistry down, but now me and the receivers are starting to mesh and things are really starting to come together for us,” Ohm said.
In the IFL the field is 50 yards by 25 yards and throws become a lot tighter for quarterbacks. Ohm said he plays against and with a lot of Division I college football players and everybody in the league is hoping to use it to move on and play for an NFL or CFL team.
Ohm has already garnered some interest from the CFL.
“I’m just trying to put up as much stats as I can and get as much film out there as I can. That’s what this league is about. It’s not something that you’re going to play for years on end and make a living doing. It’s a stepping stone,” Ohm said. “To end up in the CFL would be a blessing. It’s a big league and there’s big time talent up there. It’s a passing league and I would love to play in a pass happy league.”
Ohm still has eight games left to play this season with Cedar Rapids before he can begin to look into where he will be playing next year. One thing he can probably continue to count on is BP head football coach Chad Gimbel giving him advice. Ohm said he still hears from Gimbel, who watches Cedar Rapids’ games online, on how to move his feet and how to release.
Ohm is glad to take the advice.
“I still take it, he’s one of the most respected coaches I’ve ever had,” Ohm said.
Ohm finished his Concordia career with 5,596 yards with 47 touchdowns as he completed 59.3 percent of his passes. He had a tryout with the Minnesota Vikings after his college career ended.