Urban Meyer: Dwayne Haskins leader to be Buckeyes' starting QB

Ohio State coach Urban Meyer confirmed what had become apparent: Sophomore Dwayne Haskins is the clear front-runner to be the Buckeyes' starting quarterback this season.

Meyer fell just short of naming Haskins his starter while speaking at the Hall of Fame Luncheon Club in Canton, Ohio, this week.

"This is really the first time I've talked about this since the spring game, but as of now it looks like Dwayne Haskins will get the first opportunity to be the starter," he said, according to the Canton Repository. "Dwayne is a young guy that came in against our rivals and did a heck of a job. You go back and watch that again, he came in on the first drive and took us down the field and scored on that first drive against that defense. So he's got a great release, he's got good size and he's a mobile-enough quarterback.

"It is going to change how we attack defenses."

Haskins, who completed 6 of 7 passes for 94 yards in relief of J.T. Barrett in the Buckeyes' 31-20 win over Michigan last season.

Haskins already seemed to have the edge on senior Joe Burrow and freshman Tate Martell after spring practice, and when Burrow announced last week that he will transfer, Haskins' hold on the No. 1 spot got stronger.

Haskins played in eight games last season as a redshirt freshman. He completed 70.2 percent of his passes (40 of 57) for 565 yards, four touchdowns and one interception. He also rushed 24 times for 84 yards.