Ohio State offers 2021 quarterback

There isn’t a ton of uncertainty at the most important position on the field for Ohio State right now. Sure, the Buckeyes might not have the depth they’d like in 2019 if Dwayne Haskins is to leave, as they’ll have to rely on redshirt sophomore Tate Martell, redshirt freshman Matthew Baldwin, true freshman Dwan Mathis and West Virginia Chris Chugunov, but Ohio State is, generally, in a good place at quarterback.

That stability comes mostly from the fact that Ohio State signs a quarterback every class, a practice I expect to continue under Ryan Day. Always having a new quarterback coming in makes it far easier to cushion the loss of Joe Burrow to transfer and the likely loss of Dwayne Haskins to the NFL, and just as we saw in the past, it seems that Ohio State will continue to have that luxury moving forward.

The aforementioned Mathis is holding it down at quarterback in 2019, and the Buckeyes already have their 2020 quarterback locked up in Arizona star Jack Miller. Because they seem to have their quarterback recruiting seemingly done (though they may look to add Demeatric Crenshaw in 2020 too), the Buckeyes can focus even further into the future, and look to snag a 2021 signal caller more than two years out from that class officially signing.

That’s exactly what happened yesterday, as Ohio State extended an offer to 2021 quarterback J.J. McCarthy.

McCarthy, a La Grange Park, Ill., standout, has been absolutely blowing up on the recruiting trail in the past month or so. Since Nov. 29, he’s added offers from Wisconsin, Purdue, Michigan, Illinois, Toledo and Northwestern, and taken visits to both Northwestern and South Carolina.

Now, he’s gotten possibly his biggest offer yet from Ohio State, and seems to be on the precipice of a massive recruitment.

How much will Ohio State be involved in the recruitment? The early returns seem to indicate that McCarthy is QB1 for Ohio State in 2021, and they hope to get him back on campus soon (he visited on Oct. 6). He’s very close with Ryan Day and interim quarterbacks coach Corey Dennis, and while Notre Dame is the presumed favorite, I think Ohio State really has a chance to win this battle if they push for it.

If the Buckeyes end up missing on McCarthy another 2021 name to remember is Mentor, Ohio’s Ian Kipp. Kipp is teammates with Buckeye commits Noah Potter and Ryan Jacoby. He doesn’t yet have an offer from the Buckeyes, but if he continues to improve, the homestate option could be the move for Ohio State.

Disclaimer: Keep in mind through all of this that these are of course 16 year olds playing an extremely difficult position. Things change with all young recruits, especially quarterbacks, and Ohio State isn’t going to be accepting any 2021 commits any time soon.