With Barrett gone, three QBs to vie for job
DALLAS — J.T. Barrett’s time at Ohio State is done.
As much as those behind him on the depth chart heaped praise on the quarterback who leaves as the Big Ten’s total offense leader and touchdown producer, the stage changed quickly late Friday after 24-7 win over Southern California in the Cotton Bowl.
Dwayne Haskins Jr., Joe Burrow and Tate Martell are lined up, probably in that order, to try to prove they should be the next starting quarterback, with spring practice starting in March.
“Philosophically, it’s just like J.T. is done, but now it’s next guy up,” Haskins said. “It’s your team now. Go attack it like you’re the starter. So that’s my mindset.”
Haskins has about 18 minutes of playing time that would seem to establish him as the man to beat. Burrow was the backup as a redshirt freshman in 2016 but fell to third this season after suffering a broken bone in his throwing hand in preseason camp. Martell, the shorter but mercurial playmaker, redshirted his freshman season.
Haskins left the biggest impression in the second half at Michigan, entering when Barrett suffered a knee injury. He rallied the Buckeyes to a 31-20 victory, making big plays with his arm and feet. Coach Urban Meyer is unlikely to forget when a player responds to the “next guy up” call, especially when he pulls off a win over the archrival.
“The big thing for me was getting experience this year, letting the coaches know that in a game situation they can rely on me,” Haskins said. “I got this year, and I made the most of it, and I’m looking forward to showing that next year.”
Burrow is looking forward to the competition, too, because his hand wasn’t in great shape through the fall.
“The last couple of weeks I think I got back” into form, he said.
Does that mean his attitude will be “game on” in the spring?
“I think that’s the way you have to go into it,” Burrow said. “I am excited for it, but I go into every spring thinking the same thing: Get better, improve and try my best, and compete.”
Martell also is champing at the bit. He went 43-0 as a starter at Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas and was recognized as one of the elite dual-threat prospects in the country when he signed with the 2017 class. Then he had to wait his turn, doing duty with the scout team all fall, though drawing rave reviews for his work.
“I feel like I’m ready to go,” Martell said. “Get another winter (conditioning), get a little faster and stronger, and just go out there and do my thing when it comes around to that time in the spring, and probably through fall camp I’m assuming, too.”
But does he expect it to be a truly open competition?
“Not sure yet,” Martell said. “We’ll see how it goes.”