What Would a 2-Quarterback System Look Like for Urban Meyer at Ohio State?

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Just one week ago, Urban Meyer admitted that Ohio State's unprecedented quarterback conundrum is beginning to eat at him.

But while it's still too early for the Buckeyes' head coach to decide which of his three qualified quarterbacks will start in 2015, he's not ruling out a solution that may be easier on both him and his players: Play two of them.

"I've thought about that a little bit," Meyer answered on Tuesday when asked if he would be willing to leave room in his game plan for two signal-callers this fall. "You might have a specialty quarterback. That's kind of what we did back in '06."

That was the year when Meyer led Florida to its first of two national titles under his watch, as the Gators routinely used two quarterbacks throughout the season.

It wasn't necessarily a two-quarterback system per se, as Chris Leak served as the team's primary passer, but Meyer wasn't shy to put then-freshman Tim Tebow on the field—especially in short-yardage situations.

Both quarterbacks were crucial to the Gators' success and their roles were clearly defined. Leak attempted 365 of Florida's 399 pass attempts that season, as Tebow finished second in rush attempts (89) and rushing yards (469), and first in rushing touchdowns (eight).

"That was kind of two different skill sets," Meyer said. "It was a very unique situation with them. The families were incredible, it was a very egoless approach to the game. One quarterback drives them down and the other quarterback comes in and is the goal-line quarterback. But it worked."

Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

As Ohio State embarks on a defense of its own national title, a similar setup could work in Columbus as well.

Braxton Miller, J.T. Barrett and Cardale Jones are closer to each other in terms of playing style than Leak and Tebow were, although all three possess their own respective strengths and weaknesses. While one player may be better at throwing the deep ball, another may be more accurate on intermediate routes, and all three are very different when it comes to running the ball.

With all three being as talented as they are in their own unique ways, it's nearly impossible to tell who would serve as a primary quarterback and who would be a special signal-caller under Meyer.

The wild card of the bunch is Miller, who is the furthest behind in his recovery and dealing with an injury that could limit his ability as a true quarterback.

Having suffered two shoulder injuries in an eight-month span, including a season-ending torn labrum in his throwing shoulder last August, it remains unclear whether Miller's ability as a passer will ever return to 100 percent.

Even if it does, it would still leave him behind Barrett in terms of accuracy and Jones when it comes to throwing the ball downfield.

That doesn't mean there couldn't be a place in the Ohio State offense for Miller if he returns to full capacity this summer, but if Meyer opts for a specialty quarterback, it would likely be him.

In fact, there may not be a player better suited in the country to play such a role than the Dayton, Ohio native, who's rushed for a total of 3,054 yards and 32 touchdowns in the first three years of his college career.

Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

There remains an outside chance that if Miller is healthy and Meyer decides to play two quarterbacks, the two-time Big Ten MVP could be the primary one.

If that were to be the case, Jones would likely serve as the specialty signal-caller, as his power running would complement Miller's finesse style the best.

Far likelier, however, is either Jones or Barrett being the primary passer, although it's tough to tell who it would be between the two. Statistically, Barrett is the most accurate of the Buckeyes' three competing quarterbacks, but Jones' big arm helped open lanes for running back Ezekiel Elliott throughout Ohio State's run to the national championship in the College Football Playoff.

If Jones—who threw for 742 yards and five touchdowns in three postseason starts last season—were to be Meyer's choice to be the Buckeyes' primary passer, Miller would seemingly make the most sense in a specialty role given his ability as a runner.

But Barrett wouldn't be a bad alternative should Miller not fully recover or use his ability as a graduate transfer to play elsewhere, having racked up 938 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns in the first 12 games of his college career.

Then again, Barrett might make the most sense as Ohio State's primary quarterback, given that between him, Miller and Jones, he's arguably the best combination of both runner and passer.

In just 12 games in 2014, Barrett broke the Buckeyes' single-season total offense record (3,772 yards) and the Big Ten's total touchdown record (45), earning Big Ten Quarterback and Freshman of the Year honors, as well as a fifth-place finish in Heisman Trophy voting in the process.

Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

Making Barrett the Buckeyes' primary quarterback would cause the greatest debate as to who the specialty signal-caller would be, however, as Miller has the most ability, but Jones' power-running style could give Meyer the kind of diversity in his offense that he hasn't experienced since 2006.

Of course, Meyer could ultimately opt to play just one quarterback, or a Miller move elsewhere could leave who will play which role between Jones and Barrett as the only question.

For now, all we know is that Meyer has entertained the idea as the Buckeyes move closer to the end of spring practice with one of the biggest quarterback controversies in college football history looming.

"Right now, it's one day at a time," Meyer said. "I keep saying that."

But the three-time national champion head coach knows that eventually his actions are going to have to speak louder than his words.

Ben Axelrod is Bleacher Report's Big Ten Lead Writer. You can follow him on Twitter @BenAxelrod. Unless noted otherwise, all quotes were obtained firsthand. All statistics courtesy of cfbstats.com. Recruiting rankings courtesy of 247Sports.