Update on Ohio State’s 2020 QB situation

Ohio State has been fortunate at the quarterback position for some time now. The luxury of riches the Buckeyes have held at the position including Braxton Miller, JT Barrett, Cardale Jones, Dwayne Haskins and now Justin Fields, is more than enough to make any fan base jealous.

The Buckeyes want to continue this streak and may already have their next guy as 2020 QB four-star pro-style QB Jack Miller (Scottsdale, AZ / Chaparral).

While Miller is highly-touted and only continues to improve his stock, head coach Ryan Day and the Buckeyes are not quite finished, especially with the lack of depth at the position due to mass exodus at the position due to transfer.

Adam Friedman and Mike Farrell of rivals.com discussed five of the more interesting QB recruitments in this year’s class and the Buckeyes were listed as contenders for multiple including four-star CJ Stroud (Rancho Cucamonga, CA / Rancho Cucamonga) and three-star Jayden de Laura (Honolulu, HI / St. Louis).

When it comes to Stroud, the rivals.com crew listed Ohio State as a program on the outside looking in but that may be by choice.

“Baylor and Oregon are his top programs right now, but Ohio State could jump to the top of his list if the Buckeyes offer this season.”

While I would never argue the Buckeyes being a legitimate contender for Stroud, as Ohio State has the notoriety to jump to the top of anyone’s list following an offer, Columbus doesn’t appear to be the best fit for him.

Stroud and Jack Miller are very similar in terms of play-style but also talent level. Ohio State is far from one to hide from a QB competition (in fact it feels like the program thrives on it) but both Stroud and, more importantly, Miller would have to be on board with it too. The last thing Day and the Ohio State coaches want to do is scare Miller into reconsidering his commitment. But that being said, the Buckeyes will also never turn down top talent because they already have a commitment at the position.

If Ohio State does present Stroud with an offer this season, expect them to jump to the top of the list just like Friedman and Farrell said.

The other QB listed on the rivals.com article with connection to Ohio State was Jayden de Laura and he is someone I believe has a clearer path to Ohio State as opposed the Stroud. The Hawaii native is a little more raw which means he would likely take more time to get acclimated to the college football game as opposed to Miller.

When speaking on de Laura and Ohio State, the Rivals pair had the following to say.

“De Laura told Southeast Recruiting Analyst Woody Wommack last week that he is in touch with Washington State, Ohio State, and Georgia. The Cougars don’t have a quarterback commit just yet but Ohio State and Georgia both do. Either of those two programs taking a second quarterback in this class could cause a ripple effect across the recruiting world.

The Buckeyes haven’t offered de Laura yet, however, like Stroud, if the team presents him with a scholarship offer this season, expect them to jump towards the top of his list.

Ohio State is definitely looking to get a second QB in this class, whether or not they get one is still up in the air. If they do, both of these guys are possibilities.