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COLUMBUS, Ohio – Jadyn Davis of Catawba Ridge High School in South Carolina spent two days in Columbus over the summer, and both trips were made with a goal to accomplish.
The first took place in June, when he was among hundreds of players attending a one-day camp looking to win a soccer bid in the state of Ohio. He achieved this goal fairly quickly. Mainly because he spent the afternoon throwing the ball in a way that gave off vibrations that he was the second coming of Justin Fields, who happens to be his favorite player.
“That’s what Coach (Corey) Dennis said about me,” Davis told cleveland.com. “Everyone I’ve spoken to at Ohio State compares me to Justin. So I asked a fan to photoshop a photo of my face on one of the photos from Fields’ media day. It was a little weird. … He’s my favorite quarterback, so I’d love to have the chance to meet him someday.
It’s understandable that the Buckeyes are targeting someone over Fields. The original version spent two seasons throwing for 5,373 yards and 63 touchdowns, running for 867 yards and 15 scores, and leading the program to a 20-2 record and back-to-back college football playoff appearances. It’s a world Davis could one day live in.
Davis is about to explode. He just finished a 2020 season as a starting quarterback at Catawba Ridge High School in South Carolina, where he threw for 839 yards and 11 touchdowns in six games before an injury ended his season.
Modest numbers, to say the least, but that’s not why every time rankings are set for the Recruiting Class 2024, there’s a good chance they’ll be the best quarterback in the country. This is because he spent his summer traveling across the country. By the end of it, he had offers from OSU, Alabama, Georgia, and Oklahoma.
“I had a lot of miles in the sky, to say the least,” Davis joked. “It was a blessing to have the chance to travel to all these great universities with my family. Seeing different parts of the country has been great.
While his first trip to Columbus made him an OSU target, his second trip made him a top priority.
The state of Ohio hosted a barbecue two weeks ago to close July and kick off the second summer recruiting period. She no longer had to wait 15 months between live recruiting periods and wanted to have as many prospects as possible on campus. Most of them resided in class 2023 while sprinkling in commits in the state of class 2022.
Then there was Davis, who had planned a second trip anyway so his father could see the campus since he couldn’t come the first time. He was the only quarterback in town that day, making it clear where he sat on their 2024 recruiting board.
“When I went to the barbecue I was the only quarterback on campus, which really meant a lot to me and my family,” said Davis. “I know they lifted me up on the board. Coach (Ryan) Day said I’m the hardest recruiting kid in my class. I appreciate that.
The Buckeyes are in the middle of a three-way battle to find their next starting quarterback. In the coming weeks, another player will join this room. While there is no real expectation that he will start in 2021, he does create the Elephant in the Room as the inevitable end of the game as long-term options of the Buckeyes. Regardless of how it plays out, it’s more than likely that OSU will be on the verge of seeing a massive brain drain in quarterback over the next year or so.
Davis knows that, but he’s also smart enough to know that what happens now has no impact on him if he commits to it. No one expected Quinn Ewers to show up early. He was supposed to arrive here in January and, at the bare minimum, spend a year behind a returning starter before spending two seasons as a guy. Then Davis would show up in 2024 and sit behind Ewers for a season before taking over.
It may not be that smooth anymore. Contrary to popular belief, Davis is currently not scheduled to reclassify into the 2023 class. Yes, it was his first year of graduation, but that’s because he started kindergarten early before. that his family didn’t realize how much younger he was than everyone else in his year.
He is apparently still one of the youngest, but has an understanding and maturity far beyond his years. You can see his arm talent by clicking on a highlight strip. But it shines just as bright in a movie theater. His love for Fields is not limited to the flagship pieces. It’s about understanding the offense that made him become the 11th pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.
This is the biggest takeaway from his two trips to Columbus. He got to sit down with Day and see what it’s like to be the starting quarterback for Ohio State.
“It’s like watching a master at work, honestly,” Davis said. “Coach Day is a true attacking master and a head coach.”
He also gets “The Why”. He’s watched the evolution of OSU quarterbacks over the past decade of Braxton Miller, JT Barrett, Dwayne Haskins, Fields and whoever wins the battle this fall. All of these players had different skills, but to some extent they executed the same attack even though it was executed differently.
“Ohio State is going to be moral when it comes to certain things on offense,” Davis said. “But an RPO that Braxton Miller would perform would probably only be a read option because he’s a runner. With a guy like Dwayne Haskins, who is more of the pro type, his RPO would be a real run and pass option. Then Justin Fields is good at both.
“(I love) the way they love quarterbacks the most and how attentive to detail they are with everything they do.”
Day and Davis essentially drove Davis through a light installation of the offense while in Columbus. Then they took him outside and briefed him on the rest of the program. That meant playing dodge ball with the coaching staff and other rookies while also falling victim to a well-executed plan by Dennis and Brian Hartline to get him out of play and a chance to pitch with 2022 wide receiver Kaleb Brown.
It also included a head-to-head basketball game that didn’t go very well for a certain running back coach.
“Go ask Coach (Tony) Alford who beat him in basketball while I was up there,” Davis said.
The Buckeyes made a lasting impression on Davis. Day lived up to his reputation as a quarterback developer, while Dennis did so as a recruiter. The rest of the staff did their part to make him feel like part of the family. Then the city of Columbus did the rest by offering a different perspective on Northern Schools than it expected while still exuding the same feel as Charlotte, who is 30 minutes from her home in Fort Mill, in South Carolina.
“I was talking to my dad the other day when you go to school, and you can see normal kids wearing Ohio State hoodies,” Davis said. “You don’t really see normal kids wearing SEC swimsuits here.
“They really blew me away how much they help their guys off the field and how good the Ohio State Just brand is in general. It’s a real brotherhood up there.
Davis’ summer travel is over. Now he’s locked into setting up a junior campaign worthy of the hype he’s spent the past two months building for himself. There is no rush for a decision, as with many rookies, he wants to enjoy a normal process.
Ohio State has clearly been sold on it and, in return, has given him a clear understanding of how he fits into his future. It all starts with him as potentially the best quarterback the 2024 class has to offer.
“I was going in there to prove that I am who I say I am,” Davis said. “My first goal was to go out there and get a bid and a show so I could compete.”
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