Dwayne Haskins primed to become Ohio State’s QB of the future after Joe Burrow injury

So you’ve probably heard the news by now.

In the midst of a neck-and-neck battle for the backup quarterback job, Joe Burrow is out indefinitely after undergoing hand surgery on Tuesday. He broke a bone in his throwing hand on Monday during practice and should be available around midseason.

That being said, it’s likely you’ll never see him lace it up in Scarlet and Gray for any meaningful amount of time.

Burrow’s injury means he’s out of the running for the backup spot this year, which officially -- by default -- belongs to Dwayne Haskins. Injuries are an unfortunate part of sports and in Burrow’s case, it could’ve cost him a legitimate shot at being the guy under center at Ohio State.

It’s tough to imagine him catching Haskins, and Burrow isn’t getting any younger. He’ll be a redshirt junior come next autumn and will have to compete with not only Haskins, but stud dual-threat signal-caller Tate Martell. The odds of Burrow distancing himself from both are exceedingly low.

My guess is that the Ohio native transfers in the near future. There’s been speculation that one of the Buckeyes backup quarterbacks eventually would and it makes all of the sense in the world for Burrow.

Regardless, when J.T. Barrett is gone after this season, the next man up is Haskins.

The former four-star from Potomac, Maryland has really impressed this offseason as a redshirt freshman. His touch, rocket arm, and aggressiveness remind more than a few of Cardale Jones, including Barrett.

“He has kind of a mentality almost like Cardale," Barrett said, per Eleven Warriors. "His arm can take him places, but then also too, it can get him in some tight spots as well. But when he is set up to throw the ball and he is in rhythm, he can rip it."

Haskins is also confident in what he can do on the field. In his eyes, there isn’t throw he can’t make.

"I'm just really confident … and know that I can make any throw on the field," Haskins said. "So when I go play, it’s just like if someone's open, I'm going to throw it to them. If they're covered a little bit, I feel like I can get it in the window and throw it."

OSU is nearing their season-opener and back in familiar territory with Burrow sidelined. But – and there is a but – fans can rest assured that Haskins is as good as it gets when it comes to backups.

After all, he is the Buckeyes future at quarterback.