In the end, Dwayne Haskins did what most everyone expected.
In the hours after Ohio State’ Rose Bowl win New Year’s Day, the quarterback claimed that he was 50/50 on returning to OSU for another season or leaping early into the draft. Six days later, after the signal-caller’s quarterback friend committed to OSU, Haskins confirmed that he is indeed leaving the Buckeyes early for the NFL.
They say that dreams come true
— Dwayne Haskins, Jr (@dh_simba7) January 7, 2019
and when they do, that there's a beautiful thing... Scarlet & Gray Forever #BuckeyeNation #ThankYou pic.twitter.com/ngHQfLq8C7
In his first, and as it turns out only, year as a starter, Haskins had a season for the ages as he set an Ohio State and Big Ten record with 50 touchdown passes, becoming just the sixth FBS player ever to reach that mark. He was a finalist for the 2018 Heisman Trophy and finished third in the voting behind winner Kyler Murray of Oklahoma and runnerup Tua Tagovailoa of Alabama.
At this point, he’s viewed as the top quarterback who’ll be available for the April draft and a prospect who could potentially go No. 1 overall.
With Haskins gone, and much to Tate Martell‘s chagrin, Georgia transfer Justin Fields will likely head into spring practice as the favorite to claim the job.