Ohio State football's three-way quarterback competition of the college football decade is down to two following Braxton Miller's Thursday announcement that he will focus on H-back and punt returning in 2015. That leaves an absolute barnburner of a showdown between Cardale Jones and JT Barrett -- two talents with distinctly different skill sets but a singular focus on winning. With that being said, we thought it'd be a good time to present our Cardale Jones vs. JT Barrett Tale Of The Tape.
Cardale Jones
Born: September 29, 1992
Hometown: Cleveland, Ohio
Class: Redshirt Junior
Measurables: 6'5", 250 pounds, 4.93 40-yard dash, 29.0 vertical leap
Strengths:
Undoubtedly the most physically gifted quarterback on Ohio State's roster, Jones combines a huge NFL arm with a Cam Newton-as-bowling-ball running style that makes him a (bleep) to pull down either on the rollout or when breaks across the line of scrimmage. He’s big, strong and tall enough to stand in the pocket and continue to develop a deadly level of comfort there. With that, Jones will be able to make EVEN MORE unreal throws across the field from the pocket to wide-eyed wide receivers than he did in his small sample size last season. In short, he's a raw force of nature with immeasurable upside.
Weaknesses:
We're not going to go the easy route and point out Jones' adventures on Twitter, mainly because the last one was pretty hilarious. What we're more concerned with is the small sample size we're going off of with Jones -- three starts and a handful of cursory mop-up appearances. Jones’ footwork when adjusting on the run is major need of an overhaul. To add onto that, Jones is still in the beginning stages of sorting out his throwing mechanics and vision when forced to throw on the run. Ohio State's offense (especially Ezekiel Elliott) did a fine job accentuating Jones' positives and hiding his lack of on-field development last year. He may very well show major progress in that area come fall camp, but we're still in wait-and-see mode.
JT Barrett
Born: January 23, 1995
Hometown: Wichita Falls, Texas
Class: Redshirt Sophomore
Measurables: 6'1", 225 lbs, 4.79 sec. 40-yard dash, 26.0" vertical leap, 4.34 sec. shuttle
Strengths:
Filling the void in the wake of Braxton Miller's shoulder injury, Barrett shifted into the starter role in 2014 with a natural confidence and advanced awareness that belies his age. The youngest quarterback of the aforementioned former three-way QB battle, one could argue that Barrett's on-field maturity and leadership qualities in the locker room far outstrip that of Miller and/or Jones. From an eye-test standpoint, Barrett's intelligence manifests itself in jaw-dropping accuracy, including a dart to the goalline at the recent Elite 11 camp which made former QB Trent Dilfer scream out of amazement. Add in his versatility as a thrower from all angles and situations, along with the propensity to make leap-sized improvements on a week-to-week basis, and Barrett seems to have all the intangibles to paper over some of his tangible "deficiencies."
Weaknesses:
Barrett is the youngest candidate in the Ohio State quarterback competition and has the weakest pure arm strength of the bunch. He is much smaller and potential more fragile than Cardale Jones and slower and less dynamic in the open field than former candidate Braxton Miller. He appears to be all the way back from his fractured right ankle, but ankle injuries can rear their ugly head again and again with repeated cleat stomps into the turf. He is still at least a year away from proving to NFL scouts that his lack of prototypical league tangibles won't hamper him at the next level, and the pure wow factor of his onfield work will likely leave some opining for the flashier Jones if he wins the job.
Our Verdict
It's a heck of a close battle, especially with the likelihood that Jones jumps to the NFL next year regardless of whether he wins the job in 2015. That could inform Urban Meyer's thinking, slotting Jones in this year and counting on Barrett as the answer in 2016. However, Barrett is the safe bet and has proven himself to be a more well-rounded, polished product both on the field and off. We give this one to JT Barrett in what should be a razor-thin decision in the QB competition equivalent of a heavyweight championship fight.
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