Urban Meyer: Dwayne Haskins has 'first opportunity' to be Ohio State starter

Nick Bromberg
·College football and motorsports writer
Dwayne Haskins was 6-7 passing in relief of J.T. Barrett against Michigan. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete, File)
Dwayne Haskins was 6-7 passing in relief of J.T. Barrett against Michigan. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete, File)

What we thought we knew after Ohio State quarterback Joe Burrow said he would be transferring appears to be the reality. Dwayne Haskins is the frontrunner to be the Buckeyes’ starting quarterback.

Ohio State coach Urban Meyer spoke at the Hall of Fame Luncheon Club in Canton, Ohio, on Monday and revealed that Haskins will be given the “first opportunity” to be the team’s Week 1 starter.

What Meyer said

“This is really the first time I’ve talked about this since the spring game, but as of now it looks like Dwayne Haskins will get the first opportunity to be the starter,” Meyer said via CantonRep.com. “Dwayne is a young guy that came in against our rivals and did a heck of a job. You go back and watch that again, he came in on the first drive and took us down the field and scored on that first drive against that defense. So he’s got a great release, he’s got good size and he’s a mobile-enough quarterback.

“It is going to change how we attack defenses.”

What does it mean?

Burrow’s transfer was a sign that either Haskins or Tate Martell had the upper hand in the competition to succeed J.T. Barrett as the starting quarterback. Burrow, a grad transfer, will be immediately eligible at his new school.

Without Burrow, Haskins is the No. 1 quarterback while Martell is the guy chasing him. Haskins got significant playing time against Michigan in 2017 after J.T. Barrett left the game following a knee injury.

Haskins was 40-57 for 565 yards and four touchdowns and one interception in parts of eight games last season. He was 6-7 passing for 94 yards against the Wolverines and also added 24 rushing yards.

Martell, a native of Las Vegas, was the No. 2 dual-threat quarterback in the class of 2017 and the top recruit in the state of Nevada. Haskins, who redshirted in 2016, was the No. 5 pro-style quarterback in the class of 2016. Both quarterbacks were four-star recruits according to Rivals.

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Nick Bromberg is a writer for Yahoo Sports.

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