Ohio State’s Dwayne Haskins ready to lead after departure of Joe Burrow

“Just had the opportunity to play in the biggest rivalry in all of sports, and just being able to go in there and not really worry, just play one play at a time. Being able to go out and win puts a lot of confidence in you just because your team saw you do it, the world saw you do it and it just gives you a lot of confidence going forward.”

- Dwayne Haskins via Ryan Ginn, Land of 10

Joe Burrow has decided to transfer from Ohio State and will continue his athletic career at another school that is yet to be determined, but one thing that is determined is that Dwayne Haskins is now going to be the starting quarterback this fall. Haskins was the favorite entering spring camp, but Burrow impressed the coaching staff enough that by the time the spring game came around, it was about even.

But, with Burrow now heading out of the program, it’s safe to assume that the coaching staff will go ahead with Haskins. Of course, Haskins also had an advantage entering the offseason after leading the Buckeyes in a comeback win over Michigan in Ann Arbor.

But now that the quarterback battle is finished, it’s Haskins’ team. Heading into the season opener there won’t be any questions about who should start or any doubt regarding the team’s mentality about if they chose the right guy. I

t’s Haskins’ show, and it’s up to him to live up to the hype and lead the team to wins. He’ll get his chance as a first-time starter against Oregon State in the season opener.

“That is the thing about The Ohio State University — you are right in our meeting room, we have [posters] up of all of those guys from [Gareon] Conley to [Marshon] Lattimore to Malcolm Jenkins to Vinnie Clark to Shawn Springs. It can go on and on, and those guys understand the expectation and they see those guys come back.”

- Ryan Ginn, Land of 10

Another NFL draft has gone past, and another Ohio State defensive back went in the first round. Denzel Ward was taken by the Cleveland Browns with the fourth overall pick in this year’s draft. Some were surprised that the Browns didn’t go with defensive end Bradley Chubb, but regardless, it had to please Urban Meyer and the Ohio State coaching staff.

Not only does the first-round pick reflect well on the Buckeyes, but it’s going to help recruiting in the long run as well. Marshon Lattimore being the Defensive Rookie of the Year last season, immediately followed up by Ward going fourth overall? That shows something is going right in Columbus.

It also helps current defensive backs get some key advice from NFL players like Lattimore and Malik Hooker who will visit the team from time to time and help give pointers on how to approach the game. With Kerry Coombs moving on to the NFL, the Buckeyes will take any help they can get from their former college stars.

“Jallow on Monday was named one of 32 players who will train at the national team camp, held May 31-June 2 in Colorado Springs, Colorado.”

- Bill Landis, Cleveland.com

Musa Jallow of the Ohio State basketball team received an invite to the under-18 USA men’s national team after playing as a 17-year-old true freshman under Chris Holtmann. Jallow averaged 2.5 points and 1.5 rebounds in 33 games at a pace of 14 minutes per game.

Jallow is expected to have a bigger role in the team next season, with Keita Bates-Diop headed to the NBA Combine and several other key members moving on from the team (except for Andrew Daksich who is sticking around Columbus as a GA). The Buckeyes are hoping Jallow soaks up a lot during his time with the national team, as he gets to play alongside some of the top players in the country — though many of them haven’t yet entered college.

Kansas head coach Bill Self will lead the way for the team and even some Ohio State targets will be playing including some 2019 prospects such as center Trayce Jackson-Davis. You can read more about the event in the link above.

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