Urban Meyer Names Dwayne Haskins Starting Ohio State QB Ahead of Preseason Camp

The Ohio State Buckeyes' quarterback battle has been playing itself out over the past few months, and as of now, redshirt sophomore Dwayne Haskins is in line to succeed J.T. Barrett. 

Per ESPN's Adam Rittenberg, Ohio State coach Urban Meyer announced on Friday that Haskins will go into the preseason camp atop the depth chart, although sophomore Tate Martell will have the opportunity to continue to compete for the starting job.

Earlier this offseason, the battle was mainly between Haskins and Joe Burrow, but the latter transferred to LSU in May. 

Haskins appeared to be the favorite entering the offseason, given he came through on a big stage already. When Barrett went down with an injury in the second half of last year's showdown against archrival Michigan, Haskins stepped in and led his team to a victory.

He went 6-of-7 for 94 yards while adding 24 rushing yards to help the Buckeyes pull out a 31-20 victory to keep their College Football Playoff hopes alive.

Ohio State used the running game to help Haskins out, but when he needed to make a throw to move the chains, he did so. In the process, he showed the world that he has an absolute cannon.

Meanwhile, Martell has been trying to prove to Meyer and the rest of the coaching staff in practice that he's ready for action. The dynamic playmaker spent all of spring practice turning heads.

"I think Tate Martell showed his athleticism that’s caught my eye really since he’s been here," Meyer said in April, via The Athletic's Ari Wasserman. "And even more as of late."

Martell's ability to make plays with his legs reminds some in Columbus of Braxton Miller, but like the former Buckeyes star, the young signal-caller will have to improve his passing. For now, Haskins is in line to be the starter while Martell will have to continue to put in the work to show he can be a complete quarterback and lead the Ohio State offense. 

Coming out of high school, 247Sports rated Haskins as a 5-star recruit. Martell also received a 4-star rating from 247Sports and was ranked as the No. 2 dual-threat quarterback in his class.