Ohio State Recruiting: Your 2016 Buckeyes Class

Dwayne Haskins- The Bullis School (Potomac, MD)

Size: 6’3″- 198 lbs.

Position: Pro-Style QB (#7 Pro style QB, 4 stars)

Urban Meyer thought he had found his quarterback of this class in Tristen Wallace. Wallace committed to the Buckeyes last April, and while still raw at the quarterback position, appeared to be the prototype for what Meyer is looking for in a quarterback.

Wallace decommitted in December after deciding that he wanted to switch positions, and committed to Oregon soon after that.

Where would the Buckeyes turn to fill the void left by Wallace? To an old, and very familiar name to anyone that follows recruiting: Dwayne Haskins.

With the rumors of Wallace’s imminent departure, Urban Meyer and his staff were able to get Haskins to make the trip up to Columbus for a visit. That visit was a resounding success, and whispers began immediately about his potential flip to Ohio State.

Those whispers became facts on January 18th, better known as “12-star Monday”. Haskins committed to Ohio State, along with fellow former Maryland commit Keandre Jones. With Binjimen Victor’s announcement earlier in the day, it was a special day for Ohio State recruiting.

Haskins grew up a Buckeyes fan, and even called his shot during a camp back in 2008. While the road was certainly winding, he ended up where he knew he belonged.

The Buckeyes are very fortunate to have been able to still land a quarterback in this class, given how late in the process Tristen Wallace decommitted. That they were able to do so by landing one of the best in the country is borderline amazing.

Haskins is a near-lock for a redshirt this upcoming season with J.T. Barrett returning, and Stephen Collier and Joe Burrow set to back him up. With a year to get comfortable in the offense, Haskins will have a great chance to take over as the leader of the offense in 2017.

Scouts have raved about how polished he already seems to be as a passer, and he will only get better with a year of development under the coaching staff. Equally as important, he is a natural leader on and off of the field. Upon his commitment to Ohio State, he immediately became a big time recruiter for the Buckeyes for both the final month of the 2016, as well as the ones to come in 2017.

For all intents and purposes, the Buckeyes hit a home run in landing Dwayne Haskins.