Ohio State Football: 2016 QB recruit you would bet on to win ‘The Game’?
The starting quarterback for the Ohio State football team and the one for the team up north were both highly ranked players in the 2016 recruiting class.
It’s been known for some time Dwayne Haskins would be the starting quarterback for Ohio State. Only recently Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh announced Shea Patterson will be his starter for the season opener.
If those two players hold onto their starting positions the entire season, it will mean two of the top quarterbacks in the 2016 recruiting class will go toe-to-toe in ‘The Game’. Which player would you bet on to come out on top?
Both players have traveled interesting paths to become starters. Let’s first look at the one the newest Wolverine quarterback had to navigate.
Patterson was the top ranked QB in the 2016 class and chose to play for Ole Miss. In two seasons for the Rebels he completed 60 percent of his passes for 3,139 yards, 23 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 10 games. Pretty good numbers for a young quarterback
Patterson then transferred to Michigan earlier this year and received a waiver by the NCAA to play immediately. Coach Harbaugh is hoping he could be the quarterback the Wolverines have been looking for to become a legitimate contender in the Big Ten. I think he may be.
Haskins was the 7th ranked pro-style quarterback in the 2016 class. I wondered how a pass first QB would perform in Urban Meyer’s offense.
Haskins sat out his first year while redshirt freshman Joe Burrow was completing over 70 percent of his passes as J.T. Barrett’s backup. Since Burrow was a dual threat QB, things didn’t look good for Haskins seeing the field anytime soon.
But Haskins’ play in the 2017 Ohio State Spring Game put him in contention with Burrow for the backup role entering fall camp. When Burrow was injured and sidelined for weeks the job was his for the time being.
Haskins performed well in garbage time during the first 11 games of the season and was completing around 70 percent of his passes. And then “It” happened.
That’s when Haskins came in to take over for the injured Barrett with the Buckeyes trailing the Wolverines in Ann Arbor. Trailing 20-14 in front of a hostile crowd you could understand if a redshirt freshman melted under that pressure. Instead, Haskins shined and led the Buckeyes to a 31-20 victory.
He was 6-7 passing for 94 yards and carried the ball 3 times for 24. A 27 yard pass completion to Austin Mack in a key situation and a 22 yard run by Haskins to set up another score were two of the biggest plays of the game.
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Although Urban Meyer said the starting QB position was up for grabs this year, with Haskin’s performance November 25th I don’t think Burrow had much of a chance of winning the job. Apparently he didn’t either so he transferred to LSU.
There is a good chance both Patterson and Haskins will have their teams on a roll going into the final game this season. And the matchup between these two players who were highly ranked QB recruits in the 2016 class could well determine who will represent the East Division in the Big Ten Championship Game.
If that is the case, would you bet your money on the player who has put up the best stats in his college career or the one who has performed when the pressure was on?
Things that influenced Patterson's decision?. dark. Next
I’ll take Dwayne Haskins. The QB who has already proven he can overcome adversity and lead the Buckeyes to a win in “The Game”.