As close as the competition has been for the Ohio State starting quarterback role in 2015, the common consensus has been that Cardale Jones has the upper hand.
That logic went like this: Jones is obviously coming off three sterling performances, having led the Buckeyes to Big Ten Championship and National Championship victories. Moreover, both Braxton Miller and J.T. Barrett are returning from major injuries, so their practice reps have been severely limited. With Jones receiving the bulk of the reps, most thought he'd take the job easily should he not falter too demonstrably.
However, head coach Urban Meyer says Jones still has a ways to go, despite his previous successes. He called him "a steady work in progress," and told Sports Illustrated that "he’s a 22-year-old man that once in a while reverts back to a 16-, 17-year-old mentality."
Meyer did make sure to add that Jones is "a genuine, great kid that has been interesting."
Jones may still win the job in the end, but it seems like he missed his chance to really lock it down early and not look back. Meyer remains non-commital, and Cleveland.com reports that Barrett and Miller are both improving in health by the day. Barrett in particular has shocked coaches with how quickly he's taken on more reps with each practice.
Meyer says he plans to name a starting QB by "the middle of training camp," according to Yardbarker.
"I think every one of them deserve that opportunity and right now two of them aren’t getting it,” said the three-time championship winning coach. “I think by training camp you have to have a handle on that thing.”
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