Ohio State’s Dwayne Haskins learning from Deshaun Watson

“He’s [Dwayne Haskins] got a different demeanor. He’s had to grow up real quick. Being the quarterback at Ohio State is a big job for him, and you can see him trying to make those improvements, being more vocal. It’s cool seeing that growth from him.”

- Austin Mack via Bill Landis, Cleveland.com

Dwayne Haskins is expected to be the next big thing at Ohio State, and for good reason. Stepping into the quarterback position is no small task, especially at a program like the one in Columbus. Haskins will enter the season as the starting quarterback after winning the battle over Joe Burrow and Tate Martell. After last season’s game against Michigan, Haskins was the favorite entering camp, but now that he has the job, he’s looking to improve not only his game, but his leadership as well. That’s where former Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson may be able to help. The national champion plays for the Houston Texans now, but Haskins got a chance to work out with him and learn from the second-year NFLer.

All of Haskins’ receivers speak highly of the young star, and there’s an expectation for him to be great right from the jump. With the help of a great supporting cast around him (a backfield of J.K. Dobbins and Mike Weber helps) and a talented receiving group, the sky is the limit for Haskins and the Buckeyes in 2018.

“I think it’s definitely to our advantage, just having so many weapons with guys who can do so much. I’m able to make short passes into big, explosive plays, and we have other guys who are able to take the top off the coverage and catch 80-yard bombs, touchdown passes. It’s to our advantage, for sure, and I think that’s kind of what we have going for us, and it is one of those things that is going to be able to put us over the top.”

- Parris Campbell via Tim May, The Columbus Dispatch

Speaking of that receiving group, Ohio State might have a special one for the first time in a couple of seasons. The last great group of receivers had Michael Thomas and Devin Smith sharing the field at the same time, both of which are in the NFL right now. Now, the group of Parris Campbell, Johnnie Dixon, Terry McLaurin, Austin Mack, K.J. Hill, Benjamin Victor, and more all make up a solid cast. Hopes are high for the unit and head coach Urban Meyer seems to be pleased with the leadership in the group. All signs point to a great season for the wide receivers.

After struggles in the past two seasons, the wide receivers have a new quarterback with Haskins at the helm, which might be able to open up some new opportunities in the passing game that weren’t always there with J.T. Barrett at quarterback. But it will be up to the Ohio State offense to prove itself, as nothing will be handed to them.

“[Top 50 Ohio State football players for 2018] No. 28: Luke Farrell”

- Tim Bielik, Cleveland.com

The folks over at Cleveland.com are breaking down their top 50 Ohio State football players for the upcoming season and the list continued on with tight end Luke Farrell.

Farrell made the list at 28th overall, which is a step up for him from last season, where was ranked 38th overall. The redshirt sophomore saw some action in 2017, but was still buried on the depth chart alongside Rashod Berry. Now with starting tight end Marcus Baugh moving on from the Buckeyes, a starting spot is up for grabs and all signs indicate that Farrell has won the starting job to this point. While Berry might possess better ability at route-running and even provide a safer option in terms of catching the ball, Ohio State will likely use Farrell as a blocking tight end for most of the season.

There’s also the wild card in play with incoming freshman Jeremy Ruckert who has plenty of hype surrounding his upcoming career. The battle for the starting spot isn’t over just yet, but for now Farrell has earned the right.

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