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Ryan Day likes what he’s seen from QBs Justin Fields, Matthew Baldwin this spring
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When Justin Fields announced that he was leaving Georgia and transferring to Ohio State, everyone anointed him the next great Buckeye quarterback. Matthew Baldwin was a bit of an afterthought.
This spring, though, Baldwin is making his case to be Ohio State’s starting quarterback next fall. The competition between the two gunslingers has been pretty close throughout the last few weeks. It’s exactly the kind of battle Day wanted to see at the game’s most important position.
Over the course of the spring season, the completion percentages for both Fields and Baldwin have been high and both quarterbacks have demonstrated the ability to throw the long ball.
“The completion percentage is pretty close right now with those guys,” Day said. He attributed some of that to the Buckeyes implementing new defensive schemes.
Day also said he was pleased with how Fields and Baldwin threw deep down the field.
Ohio State’s quarterback play isn’t going to see much improvement from last season, as it’s almost impossible. Dwayne Haskins led the NCAA in passing yardage and touchdown passes last season, leading the Buckeyes to a 13-1 year. Day has already said that Haskins-like numbers shouldn’t be expected this year, regardless who’s under center.
But the quarterback competition in Columbus is actually pretty close, at least closer than what many thought. Fields will likely still get the nod, but Baldwin is showing to be a worthy candidate, should he get an opportunity.
It’ll be interesting to see if there’s any major separation that comes in the summer and fall between the two quarterbacks.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB