January of 2016 was a pretty big month for Urban Meyer and Ohio State.
Late in the recruiting calendar, the Buckeyes delivered a huge blow to the Maryland Terrapins and new head coach D.J. Durkin when two in-state stars flipped their commitments from the Terps to the Buckeyes.
Ohio State's quarterback recruiting was a wild ride during the entire 2016 cycle as prospects like Jarrett Guarantano and Tristen Wallace were very much in the mix at one point. It wasn't until January, however that the Buckeyes finally got their guy in Potomac, Maryland's Dwayne Haskins. The four-star was a spark plug on the trail and was well respected by many of America's top players.
Olney, Maryland is only about 20 miles north of Potomac, and Our Lady of Good Counsel High School featured one of the nation's top linebackers in Keandre Jones. The No. 9 outside linebacker prospect had been pledged to the Terps since December of 2014, but the push from the Buckeyes – along with his close friendship with Haskins – were too much to turn down.
Now heading into their third season in Columbus, both Dwayne Haskins and Keandre Jones appear to be in line for expanded roles.
The Haskins story has been widely publicized, and much of that comes as no surprise thanks to his late-game heroics in Ann Arbor last season. Serving as J.T. Barrett's backup in 2017, Haskins completed 40 of 57 passes for 565 yards with four touchdowns and one interception. He added another 86 yards with his legs.
As for the game against the Wolverines, all the redshirt freshman did was lead the Buckeyes to a come-from-behind victory. Against one of the country's best defenses. In their own stadium.
Things looked bleak for @OhioStateFB following J.T. Barrett's exit, but Dwayne Haskins and Austin Mack stepped up HUGE on this drive.
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) November 25, 2017
And J.K. Dobbins finished the job. 21-20 Buckeyes. pic.twitter.com/Y6c7nDB7Td
Now, heading into his redshirt sophomore season, most have Dwayne Haskins pegged as the frontrunner to take the reins and lead Ohio State's offense in the post-J.T. Barrett Era. And while that line of thinking is understandable due to his utilization a season ago, Urban Meyer has made it abundantly clear that this one is still very much up for grabs.
In speaking to the media last week, Meyer noted that both Haskins and Joe Burrow will be given equal opportunity to win the starting job, and redshirt freshman Tate Martell also remains in the mix.
It's been a bit of a different process for Haskins' close friend and teammate, but Keandre Jones is developing much like a number of Buckeye defenders have over the years. He's made his mark on special teams and has seen the field sparingly at linebacker in a few games as well.
Jones' has recorded just 19 tackles thus far in his two seasons with the bulk of them coming on kickoffs, but the path to playing time hasn't exactly been easy. Jerome Baker had the weakside linebacker spot on lockdown for two seasons, and Jones found himself No. 2 on the depth chart.
Before the 2017 season even kicked off, linebackers coach Bill Davis was drawing comparisons between the two:
"Keandre is a lot like Baker," Davis said. "Very fast, very twitched up. Put his foot in the ground and go. He’s playing right behind Bake and trying to push him as hard as he can, so we feel real comfortable with Keandre right now."
With Baker now off to the National Football League, the vacancy should be one of the more intriguing battles to watch throughout the spring and summer. Ohio State has several players in the mix for two linebacker spots. It appears that Malik Harrison or Dante Booker will fill the void left by Chris Worley. Keandre Jones and Baron Browning may be battling it out over the other outside spot.
Despite Jones having a year of experience on Browning, this is shaping up to be a battle that truly could go either way. The Texan has a bit more versatility and really may be able to play any of the three linebacker spots. Jones is more of a pure outside linebacker but may not be quite as physically blessed as his competition.
Regardless of how things transpire, both Keandre Jones and Dwayne Haskins are sure to see the field a heck of a lot more in 2018 and should be integral parts of Ohio State's plans. The next four to five months are going to be of the utmost importance for everyone that is vying for playing time in Columbus.
The Maryland natives should each be in line for expanded roles in 2018, but there's no doubt they'll have to deal with some stiff competition in the coming months.
