Dwayne Haskins Jr. beat out Joe Burrow as Ohio State’s starting quarterback. That’s how good he was.
He beat Michigan in emergency relief of injured J.T. Barrett. That’s how composed he was.
He beat Penn State in a White Out game. That’s how tough he was.
He beat the drum for an injured teammate, defending Nick Bosa’s decision to turn pro early. That’s how supportive he was.
He beat back the stereotype that Ohio State was not a quarterback school, which helped lead Justin Fields and C.J. Stroud to Columbus. That’s how influential he was.
Then he was gone before you knew it, leaving school early and beating it to the NFL to become the highest drafted Ohio State quarterback (15th overall to Washington) since Art Schlichter went fourth in 1982.
And now he has left this world way too soon. The 24-year-old Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback died Saturday when a dump truck struck him when he attempted to cross lanes on I-595 near Fort Lauderdale for “unknown reasons,” according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
Where to begin? How about with Haskins’ legacy at Ohio State?
Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Dwayne Haskins Jr. (7) celebrates a rushing touchdown against Maryland Terrapins during the 4th quarter of their game at Capital One Field at Maryland Stadium in College Park, Maryland on November 17, 2018.
Many choose to remember Haskins as the quarterback who beat out Burrow for the starting quarterback job in 2018. And if we’re being honest, many still think Urban Meyer made the wrong choice, given Burrow’s success at LSU, where he won the 2019 Heisman Trophy, and with the Cincinnati Bengals, whom he led to the Super Bowl.
I’m not here to fixate on Meyer’s decision — this is a tribute, not a tribunal — but Haskins deserved to win the job. To argue otherwise is revisionist history. Haskins finished third in…
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