In many ways, the backup quarterback is the most important player on Ohio State's roster.
OK, you can make that argument for any football team at any level. If the starter at the game's most important position suffers an injury, it is essential the man tapped to step in as replacement performs well enough to keep the offense moving in the right direction.
That wasn't ever more true than at Ohio State in 2014, when presumptive starter Braxton Miller went down for the season with a shoulder injury 10 days before the season opener.
His backup J.T. Barrett filled in valiantly, but then endured broken ankle in the regular season finale against Michigan. Cardale Jones picked up the pieces and then some to snatch postseason victories against Wisconsin, Alabama and Oregon and lead Ohio State to the first-ever College Football Playoff National Championship.
Barrett is now the unquestioned starter at quarterback, months after taking back the reins from Jones in a back-and-forth battle that encompassed the majority of the 2015 season. Jones and Miller are on to the NFL—though the latter moved to wide receiver—making the depth chart behind Barrett look much different.
Enter Joe Burrow and Stephen Collier. Burrow sits as Ohio State's No. 2 quarterback according to position coach Tim Beck, but Collier's offseason and spring work impressed the coach despite limited snaps. Four-star recruit Dwayne Haskins Jr. is set for a June arrival to the program, a player Urban Meyer expects to step in and compete with Burrow and Collier for the job to be Barrett's understudy.
It's unclear how the reps at quarterback will be divided up in Saturday's spring game—Meyer is set to meet the media later this morning—but he and Beck are aware how important it is for Burrow and Collier to keep developing in the event Barrett can't play this fall.
"I think they know. Steve's been here through some of that. Joe grew up being a fan so I know that he's followed that," Beck said Thursday. "So they're well aware and they understand there's high expectations for being that guy."
Both Burrow and Collier wear red jerseys in practice, thus indicating they're set for full contact unlike Barrett, who wears black. With a developing offensive line under new coach Greg Studrawa and two returning starters Billy Price and Pat Elflein sitting out most of practice, constant pressure from Ohio State's defense flies in the face of Burrow and Collier.
“I think that's good for us being that it's one play away from something happening to me that they're going to have to step up and make a play. I think we're on the path toward that.”– J.T. Barrett On Backup QBs
Meyer knows that, which is why he graded Burrow's work in the team's first scrimmage this spring as "OK." Pass catchers Noah Brown, Corey Smith, Curtis Samuel and Dontre Wilson are also still on the mend from injuries for a shorthanded offensive attack.
"A lot of times the quarterback will get hammered because the right guard misses a block and then he throws a pick," Meyer said March 29. "Receivers right now, our top four guys are out, not practicing. You take the top-3 from last year, they're going to go to the National Football League. Take the top-4 who aren't practicing, so it's a little bit of slim pickings right now. That causes the quarterback to be off a little bit."
Still, the situation at the position is much different than last year. No one is going to challenge Barrett, unlike how he and Jones battled all offseason and then into October for the job. The race to start made Meyer, Beck and Ed Warinner try everything from Barrett as a redzone option to even having them on the field at the same time.
Meyer said recently he wishes there was someone currently on the roster to challenge Barrett for the lead job.
"Someone asked about the quarterback situation and how terrible that was last year, I thought it was fantastic," Meyer said. "You have two great players that year. I’d much rather have constant meetings about who should start as opposed to the guy, the No. 2, is not near where the No. 1 is because if something happens to the No. 1 your team goes like this (points down).
"I think the answer is obvious for a coach is we’d like to have a lot of depth and guys fighting for spots."
Competition breeds success at any position, because it forces higher effort from those vying for snaps. Beck wants that between Burrow and Collier before Haskins arrives, even though they're all way behind Barrett in their development.
Beck said Burrow's best attribute is his accuracy and noted Collier's strong arm when asked about his.
"Extremely accurate with the ball for the most part and he seems to just have a knack of knowing where to go with it," Beck said of Burrow. "I think Steve's got a real strong arm. He still has to continue to develop pocket awareness and things like that."
How much Haskins figures into the backup quarterback plans won't be seen until this fall, but as the Buckeyes enter their final week of spring practice expect to see a bunch of Burrow and Collier Saturday.
The need for each to be prepared in case Barrett is unavailable could be a key to the season.
Or, it could not, if Barrett stays healthy. But his injury history is against him and Ohio State implements quarterback runs often in its offensive scheme.
"Being here, playing quarterback in the spring, it's not going to be the greatest but you've gotta understand and try to get better at something each and every day," Barrett said recently. "I think both of them are taking that challenge for themselves and also competing when it's time to compete.
"I think that's good for us being that it's one play away from something happening to me that they're going to have to step up and make a play. I think we're on the path toward that."
