Recruiting rankings are a relatively new tool. This series takes a look at the ranked Ohio State commits by position. Remember, many great Buckeyes never entered the program with a recruiting ranking. With that in mind, you will find the highest rated Ohio State quarterback commits below.
| RANK | PLAYER | RATING | STARS | COACH | YEAR | STATE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | JUSTIN FIELDS* | .9998 | 5★ | DAY | 2018* | GA |
| 2 | TERRELLE PRYOR | .9997 | 5★ | TRESSEL | 2008 | PA |
| 3 | BRAXTON MILLER | .9847 | 5★ | TRESSEL | 2011 | OH |
| 4 | JUSTIN ZWICK | .9843 | 5★ | TRESSEL | 2002 | OH |
| 5 | TATE MARTELL | .9739 | 4★ | MEYER | 2017 | NV |
| 6 | DWAYNE HASKINS | .9561 | 4★ | MEYER | 2016 | MD |
| 7 | JT BARRETT | .9380 | 4★ | MEYER | 2013 | TX |
| 8 | JOE BURROW | .9003 | 4★ | MEYER | 2015 | OH |
| 9 | TROY SMITH | .9000 | 4★ | TRESSEL | 2002 | OH |
| 10 | MATTHEW BALDWIN | .8958 | 4★ | MEYER | 2018 | TX |
| 11 | CARDALE JONES | .8704 | 3★ | MEYER | 2012 | VA |
| 12 | STEPHEN COLLIER | .8588 | 3★ | MEYER | 2014 | GA |
| 13 | KENNY GUITON | .8479 | 3★ | TRESSEL | 2009 | TX |
*Transferred from Georgia for the 2019 season.
OHIO AGAINST THE WORLD
Half of the five-star quarterbacks to commit to the Buckeyes are from the great state of Ohio. However, only five* of the 13** ranked signal-callers are Ohioans. Troy Smith, Justin Zwick, Braxton Miller and Cardale Jones are the ranked native sons to start at QB for Ohio State. Hard to believe, but Joe Burrow is the only one of the five not to get a start for the Buckeyes.
The two highest rated quarterback recruits are not from Ohio. In fact, five of Ohio State's seven highest rated commits are from other states. Justin Fields and Terrelle Pryor lead the pack that is followed by Tate Martell, Dwayne Haskins and JT Barrett.
Where the ranked quarterbacks come from: Ohio (5)*, Texas (3), Georgia (2), Maryland (1), Nevada (1) and Pennsylvania (1).
Ohio or the World?
If you had to pick a starter and two backups, which group would you take? Ohio or the World? To make it easier I will give you the three quarterbacks for each side.
Team Ohio: Troy Smith, Braxton Miller and Cardale Jones.
Team World: Terrelle Pryor, JT Barrett and Dwayne Haskins.
Which side do you think performed better at quarterback? Base your decision on what the players did on the field during their Buckeye careers.
*Cardale Jone is from Ohio, but spent a gray-shirt season in Virginia.
**Justin Fields is included as a commit.
COMPARING THE COACHES
The table below breaks down how each coach performed on the recruiting trail with the quarterbacks that were rated by the recruiting services.
| COACH | 5★ | 4★ | 3★ | AVG HT | AVG WT | POS AVG | AVG RATING | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DAY | 1 | 0 | 0 | 75.0 | 225.0 | 1.0 | .9998 | ||||
| TRESSEL | 3 | 1 | 1 | 75.0 | 202.6 | 6.6 | .9433 | ||||
| MEYER | 0 | 5 | 2 | 74.6 | 204.1 | 7.1 | .9133 | ||||
| COOPER | 0 | 0 | 0 | 76.0 | 202.3 |
Looking at the data for ranked quarterback recruits, if you're a kid wanting to play QB for Ohio State your best chance is if you're 6'3 around 205 pounds. You might also need to run like a deer and have a cannon for an arm.
I find it somewhat surprising that Meyer did not sign a five-star quarterback during his seven years at Ohio State. Not complaining about the players he signed, just a surprising revelation that Tressel signed three five-stars and Meyer had zero. Another interesting fact is that Tressel's quarterbacks finished with a better position average than Meyer's QB commits.
Team Tressel or Team Meyer?
Forget about the recruiting rankings and base this decision on how the players performed on the field. Which coach's recruiting ranked starting quarterbacks would you rather have?
Team Tressel: Troy Smith, Terrelle Pryor, Justin Zwick, Braxton Miller and Kenny Guiton.
Team Meyer: J.T. Barrett, Cardale Jones and Dwayne Haskins.
WHAT ABOUT US?
For those wondering about the quarterback recruits that did not receive a rating, you're in luck. Let's finish this little piece with all of the quarterbacks listed by 247sports since 1994 that did not get a rating.
| PLAYER | YEAR | COACH | STATE |
|---|---|---|---|
| STEVE BAIRD | 1994 | COOPER | OH |
| JOE GERMAINE | 1995 | COOPER | AZ |
| MARK GARCIA | 1996 | COOPER | CA |
| AUSTIN MOHERMAN | 1997 | COOPER | CA |
| DAVID PRIESTLEY | 1997 | COOPER | CA |
| STEVE BELLISARI | 1998 | COOPER | FL |
| CRAIG KRENZEL | 1999 | COOPER | MI |
| SCOTT McMULLEN | 1999 | COOPER | OH |
| RICK McFADDEN | 2000 | COOPER | OH |
| TODD BOECKMAN | 2004 | TRESSEL | OH |
| ROB SCHOENHOFT | 2005 | TRESSEL | OH |
| JOE BAUSERMAN | 2007 | TRESSEL | FL |
| JUSTIN SIEMS | 2009 | TRESSEL | NC |
| TAYLOR GRAHAM | 2010 | TRESSEL | IL |
| NICK TENSING | 2014 | MEYER | OH |
| JUSTIN COOK | 2014 | MEYER | OH |
I'll go with Team World over Team Ohio.
My starting quarterback for Team Ohio would be Troy Smith and Dwayne Haskins would be my starter for Team World. I like Troy Smith's college game, big arm and running skills, but Smith abandoned the run his senior season. Without Smith's running threat, Haskins is the better passer with the better arm.
The backup QB for Team World is JT Barrett and Braxton Miller is the backup for Team Ohio. This is close. Neither has a great arm and Miller is more explosive. However, Miller was incredibly fragile. In fact, Braxton getting injured is the reason Barrett started for 40 plus years. Advantage, Barrett.
Of course Cardale Jones is the third-string quarterback for Team Ohio. When the starter and backup go down, we know that Jones will lead the team to a national title. Pryor is a great running QB, but his arm is suspect. Jones wins this battle as he cemented himself as the best third-string quarterback of all-time.
In the end Team World and Team Meyer get my vote. Why? The other quarterbacks listed above are very good, but Dwayne Haskins is the best to ever toss the pigskin at Ohio State.
Next Up: Running Backs
