The quarterback position in college football has always been an important position, but it has become a place on the field you simply have to have in today’s game in order to compete for some really special things. Gone are the days (for the most part) in which you can simply have a game manager and rely on defense, special teams, and a ball-control offense to win a championship.
Ohio State has read the memo on that one and changed who it is as a program to adjust with the times. Perhaps the main reason why the Buckeyes have been one of the top two to three programs in the country over the last couple of decades is because of the dynamic playmaker it has had under center. That has only become even more of a priority under head coach Ryan Day.
But what does the position look like at Ohio State and other college football programs in the next three years? How do the Buckeyes stack up with other programs in the literal arms race of college football?
ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg took a look at the quarterback position and forecast the top 25 quarterback positions (subscription required) at college football programs over the next three years. Obviously, OSU has C.J. Stroud — a Heisman frontrunner — coming back for next season, but what about after that?
Here’s where Rittenberg sees Ohio State’s place in the landscape of college football when it comes to guys pulling the trigger under center.