Many believe Urban Meyer needs to land a complete QB in the 2016 cycle. Well, Urban Meyer may be listening as Ohio State is in on many of the top signal callers in the 2016 class. Those names include 5-star Malik Henry, 4-star Dwayne Haskins, 4-star Jawon Pass, and 4-star Jarrett Guarantano. Buckeye fans would love to see Ohio State take two of these top quarterbacks, but it seems Urban Meyer and Co. are set on taking only one quarterback in the 2016 cycle with them maybe taking two in 2015 if Torrance Gibson decides to join the fold on October 20th. With Ohio State in on all these top prospects, who is the best bet to be the quarterback in the 2016 class and what are the strengths of each prospect?

Let’s start with the highest rated prospect on the board and that is 5-star Malik Henry. Malik Henry is the number 1 rated pro-style quarterback in the country. Malik recently released a final four of schools and the Buckeyes were thankful to remain in the thick of the race for his services. Malik’s final four included Notre Dame, UCLA, Florida State, and Ohio State. It’s been reported that Malik Henry has family ties in Ohio, which does help Ohio State’s chances in this race. Currently the crystal ball has Henry going to Florida State at 70%, but that could change very quickly as it seems more of a guess right now. Henry went to the summer camps of 3 of his leaders with those being Ohio State (6/19), Notre Dame (6/20), and Florida State (7/16). It looks as though Henry has planned to visit Notre Dame for their primetime game against TTUN on September 6th.

Henry has pinpoint accuracy with a nice touch on the ball as well. He does a great job of reading the defensive secondary and finding the open receivers down the field. There’s a reason he is regarded so high on the field and you can see that by just watching his highlight tape. Malik would be a nice pick-up if he were to choose the Buckeyes, but he is going to be a tough pull at the end of the day with fighting against 3 other top programs for his services.

Next is 4-star Jawon Pass, who hails from Columbus, well Columbus, GA. Jawon is rated as the number two dual-threat quarterback in the nation for 2016. He said a few months ago that Ohio State and Notre Dame were his two leaders. Jawon also attended Ohio State’s QB camp (6/19) and the camp must have gone well for the talented star to name Ohio State as a co-leader at the time. Before naming Ohio State and Notre Dame his leaders, Jawon had Mississippi State as his leader, but it is another program leading the crystal ball at 64% in Auburn. Most experts feel at the end of the day, Pass will be a tough pull from the south and will ultimately choose an SEC school. However, there is a possibility that Pass heads north, but in this case, I would like Notre Dame’s chances of landing the touted prospect.

Analyzing Pass on the field, one will quickly realize why he is rated as one of the top dual-threat quarterbacks in the nation. Pass has a very strong arm to go along with his incredible mobility. His mobility allows him to break down the defense which results in easy throws to wide open receivers. The way Pass plays is perfect for the offense that Urban Meyer and Offensive Coordinator Tom Herman currently have installed up at Ohio State. There is no doubt that a commitment from Pass would be a great one, but I still feel it’s highly unlikely.

What about Dwayne Haskins you ask. Well, Haskins is considered to be a heavy Ohio State lean as he has stated numerous times that Ohio State was his childhood favorite and an offer that he coveted. Haskins grew up watching Buckeyes Quarterback Troy Smith and he instantly fell in love with the Buckeyes when he visited as a child. Dwayne resides from Potomac, MD and is ranked as the number five pro-style quarterback in the nation. Currently, it seems as Ohio State’s only competition for Haskins is local Maryland and out-of-state Florida State, but that may change as Texas A&M recently offered him. Haskins was last on campus on June 14th, but tweeted during ‘Friday Night Lights’ that he wishes he could have made it up. The crystal ball currently reads 100% for the Buckeyes with 19 analysts’ predictions in.

Looking at Haskin’s tape, he has great presence in the pocket, while also supplying great loft on the ball in his deliveries. He has the mobility to get out of the pocket when need be and he does a great job with his accuracy to get the ball to his receiver in a tight window. Haskins would be a great get for the Buckeyes in 2016 and plans to announce his decision after his junior season, but with that announcement date, Ohio State might already have its 2016 signal caller if they take a commitment from Jarrett Guarantano.

Jarrett Guarantano is from Oradell, NJ and rated as the number seven pro-style quarterback in 2016. Jarrett also recently released a final four with those schools being Oklahoma, Alabama, Clemson, and Ohio State. Reports came out that Jarrett had Ohio State in the driver’s seat with the other 3 just a few steps behind. His offers from both Alabama and Oklahoma were pretty recent as he received them at the end of July. Guarantano visited Ohio State for a camp on June 21st and looked good at the camp from what I’ve been told. The crystal ball currently has the Buckeyes as the leader with 73% and Oklahoma with the other votes.

If you look at Jarrett’s tape, you’ll see Jarrett likes to stand in the pocket very tall and deliver balls with great loft to his receivers. Jarrett isn’t afraid to try and fit the ball in a tight window and he also shows sudden bursts of mobility even though he likes to pass first before he decides to take off. Guarantano reminds me more of the Alex Smith type of quarterback the Urban had at Utah and I feel Ohio State would adjust their offense a little to play to his strengths.

Long story short, if Jarrett Guarantano decides before the end of his junior season, Dwayne Haskins sticks with a decision timetable of after his junior year, and the Buckeyes are willing to take Jarrett’s commitment with other top prospects still on the board, then Jarrett Guarantano may be your quarterback for the 2016 cycle. With all the possibilities that Ohio State is in on at quarterback for 2016, one thing is certain and that is Urban Meyer will land a strongly touted quarterback for the Buckeyes future in the 2016 cycle.