What a difference a year makes. This time last year Ohio State was really only pursuing Clemson QB commit Deshaun Watson, two days ago they offered their seventh quarterback for the 2015 class - Dwayne Lawson of Tampa, Florida.
Lawson is a 4-star and is ranked as the 12th-best pro-style quarterback nationally in the 247Composite. While he is listed as a pro-style quarterback, Lawson told 11W "I wouldn't underestimate my ability to run."
Lawson says that Ohio State plans to use him in the same offense as Braxton Miller, an offense Lawson says fits him well.
In fact, Lawson fits the mold of what Urban Meyer is looking for quite well. He throws well from the pocket but is athletic enough to run effectively as well. He certainly looks to throw first, but has great escapability. He has a huge arm and is also quite accurate.
Lawson is a relatively new target for Ohio State, as he said they have been in contact for about two weeks now. On Tuesday, Coach Warinner informed him that he was being offered a scholarship.
Lawson called the offer from Ohio State "big time" and that the Buckeyes are "definitely one of [his] top teams." He had recently named a top three of Florida, Tennessee and UCF but after offering, Ohio State is immediately in his top group of schools too. Of his top schools, Florida is the only one who has yet to offer but Lawson recently attended Florida's junior day.
Naturally, being from Florida Dwayne is pretty familiar with Urban Meyer: "he's a great coach and I know what he can do for a program," Lawson said.
Lawson said he plans to visit Ohio State "soon" and I imagine he will likely camp at Ohio State as well, given his high interest in the Buckeyes and the coaching staff's standard procedure of watching their quarterback targets throw in person.
On the site we've discussed quite a bit about Ohio State's quarterback options - they sit in a good position for Torrance Gibson and Brandon Wimbush, and seem to want to take two quarterbacks in this class. 11W asked Lawson about whether another quarterback committing to Ohio State would impact his decision, to which he responded: "we'll have to see what situation fits me best."
Regardless, Lawson is very interested in Ohio State and is a talented quarterback prospect with a high ceiling. Check out his highlights:
