Barrett is out, Haskins is in.
It seems so simple and obvious now, but Dwayne Haskins' path to J.T. Barrett's replacement was quite a winding road.
Between Barrett's first season in Columbus and Dwayne Haskins' commitment, Ohio State signed three different quarterbacks and held commitments from four. The Buckeyes even heavily recruited two quarterbacks in the same class as Haskins before ultimately flipping their current starting quarterback from Maryland late in the recruiting cycle.
When a quarterback commits, it's easy to assume the future and envision the succession plan, but as was the case with Haskins, things rarely go according to plan. That in mind, let's take a look back at Ohio State's quarterback recruiting between Barrett and Haskins.
Stephen Collier – 2014
Stephen Collier was the lone quarterback taken in the 2014 class, but he spent his career buried on a loaded depth chart.
When Collier arrived at Ohio State, the roster featured Braxton Miller, J.T. Barrett and Cardale Jones. He was in the quarterbacks room through the insane 2014 season and #QBGeddon of 2015.
Though there was never a clear path to the top of the depth chart, Collier was a valuable part of the team as a scout team quarterback and a signal caller from the sideline. After tearing his ACL and missing the entire 2016 season, Collier retired from football in January of 2017, but stayed with the program in a behind the scenes role.
Joe Burrow – 2015
Joe Burrow lit it up as a high school recruit.
His senior season, Burrow threw for 4,445 yards and 63 touchdowns with a completion percentage .723 and allowed just two interceptions in 346 passing attempts. Though he didn't play for an elite high school or against the nation's top competition, Burrow clearly had one of the top arms in the country.
More than that though, he seemed a great fit for Ohio State's system with his ability to create with his legs as well. Burrow rushed for 642 yards his senior season, averaging nearly six yards a carry. He was also one of the team's top cornerbacks, finishing his final season with nine tackles.
It seemed likely he was next in line after Barrett, but he didn't win the job over Haskins in the spring of 2018 and subsequently transferred to LSU, where he'll be eligible to play immediately.
Torrance Gibson – 2015
Burrow was not the only, or even the highest-rated quarterback Ohio State's 2014 class. That was Torrance Gibson.
A five-star recruit coming out of high school, Gibson was one of the most hyped signings since Urban Meyer arrived at Ohio State. He possessed arm strength, speed and athleticism to drool over. He seemed like a can't miss talent, wherever you put him on the field.
Upon arriving at Ohio State, Gibson immediately switched to receiver, seeing a clearer path to playing time at that position, but he never played a snap. Gibson redshirted his freshman year then was suspended for all of autumn semester after a violation of the University’s student code of conduct.
Gibson never re-enrolled at Ohio State and spent time at junior colleges Cincinnati State and Mississippi Gulf Coast before signing a CFL deal with the Edmonton Eskimos in March, but is no longer on the active roster.
Jarrett Guarantano – 2016
Let's clear one thing up from the start – Jarrett Guarantano never committed to Ohio State, but for quite some time, he was the team's clear top quarterback target in the 2016 class and seemed to be favoring the Buckeyes.
Ultimately, the nation's top dual-threat quarterback chose to commit to Tennessee instead, leaving the Buckeyes to find another quarterback in the class.
Guarantano remains in Knoxville and is battling to become Tennessee's starting quarterback this fall.
Tristen Wallace – 2016
With Guarantano deciding to go elsewhere, the Buckeyes gladly went after one of the other top dual threat quarterbacks in the country and secured the commitment of four-star Tristen Wallace.
At the time of his commitment, Wallace was the No. 3 dual threat quarterback in the country, hailing from the same high school as Dontre Wilson. He was a quick, shifty athlete with plenty of upside – but his commitment didn't stick.
Wallace flipped to Oregon late in the recruiting cycle, deciding he wanted to play receiver for the Ducks instead of quarterback for the Bucks. This left the Buckeyes in a scramble to find a quarterback, leading them to ultimately flip Haskins from Maryland.
Wallace is no longer with Oregon, after he was dismissed from the team due to off-field issues in January of 2017. He spent last season at Trinity Valley Community College and is looking to transfer back to a Division I program this year.
