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Only one Buckeye can picture those scenes without any trouble: fifth-year senior J.T. Barrett, who has started 30 games.
Redshirt sophomore Joe Burrow saw mop-up duty in five games last season. Dwayne Haskins redshirted last season as a freshman. Tate Martell arrived on campus in January as one of the early enrollees in the class of 2017.
Burrow is the most likely choice to win the backup quarterback job because he did it last year. Haskins could win the job with a strong performance Saturday in a scrimmage. Ohio State coaches will make their decision in part on who plays the best in that scrimmage.
Martell continues to earn praise — Meyer said Monday he’s in the mix — though there’s a good chance he’ll redshirt this season as Haskins did last season and Burrow did the year before that. Even Barrett redshirted in his first season in Columbus.
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The group has as much talent as any position group at Ohio State, though there’s a decent chance one or two of the three underclassmen will never play a big role at Ohio State. That’s just the way it goes at a position where only one player starts.
“I think it’s like that at every position here,” Day said. “When you’re playing for the national championship and competing at the highest level, that’s what young men want to be a part of. We don’t make any promises. When you come to Ohio State, you get a chance to compete with three or four other quarterbacks in the room.”
Burrow and Haskins committed to the Buckeyes knowing they could be stuck behind Barrett for a good chunk of their careers. They also know whoever wins the No. 2 job this season will have an leg up in the race to earn the starting job next season.
“We’re just trying to get better every day,” Burrow said. “Obviously, it’s an intense competition, but we’re good friends. We have good relationships. We just go out on the field and compete every day.”
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Day gave a quick rundown of Burrow and Haskins on Monday after Ohio State’s 15th preseason practice.
Of Burrow, who completed 22 of 28 passes for 226 yards and two touchdowns last season, Day said, “Joe is a really smart, tough football player. He’s a coach’s son. He’s really smart in the classroom. He’s got a good skill set and has control of the field when he’s out there, and he’s been in games. He has some experience. He’s a guy that can run the offense. He’s got a strong arm. You saw that in the spring game.”
Of Haskins, a top-10 quarterback in the class of 2016, Day said, “Dwayne is very talented throwing the football. He gets the ball out of his hand very quickly. He’s extremely accurate.”
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