COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Jadyn Davis of Catawba Ridge High School in South Carolina spent two days in Columbus over the summer, and both trips came with a goal to accomplish.
The first was in June when the rising sophomore was among hundreds of players to attend a one-day camp looking to earn an Ohio State offer. He accomplished that quickly, mainly because he spent the afternoon throwing the ball around in a way that gave off vibes that he was the second coming of Justin Fields, who just so happens to be his favorite player.
“That’s what Coach (Corey) Dennis said about me,” Davis told cleveland.com. “Everybody I’ve talked to at Ohio State compares me and Justin. So I had a fan photoshop a picture of my face on one of Fields’ media day pictures. It was kind of weird. ...That’s been my favorite quarterback, so I’d love the chance to meet him one day.”
It’s understandable why the Buckeyes would target someone similar to 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. That’s a world Davis could one day live in.
Davis is about to blow up. He’s coming off a 2020 season as the 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 whenever rankings are established for the 2024 recruiting class, Davis could be the nation’s top quarterback. He spent his summer traveling around the country, and by the end he held offers from OSU, Alabama, Georgia and Oklahoma.
“I got a lot of sky miles, to say the least,” Davis joked. “It’s been a blessing getting a chance to travel to all these great universities with my family. Seeing different parts of the country has been great.”
If his first trip to Columbus made him an OSU target, his second trip made him a top priority.
Ohio State hosted a barbecue two weeks ago as a way to close out July and kick off the second stint of summer recruiting. It didn’t have to wait 15 months between live recruiting periods anymore and wanted to get as many future prospects on campus as possible; most reside in the 2023 class, some were in-state 2022 commits.
Then there was Davis, who’d planned for a second trip anyway so that his father could see the campus since he couldn’t come around the first time. He was the only quarterback in town that day, clearly indicating where he sat on their 2024 recruiting board.
“When I went to the barbecue, I was the only quarterback on campus, which truly meant a lot to me and my family,” Davis said. “I know they have me high on the board. Coach (Ryan) Day said I’m the kid in my class he’s recruiting the hardest. I appreciate that.”
The Buckeyes are in the middle of a three-man battle to find their next starting quarterback. In the coming weeks, another player, five-star recruit Quinn Ewers, will join that room. While there’s no real expectation that he’ll start in 2021, he creates the elephant in the room as the inevitable end game as the Buckeyes’ long-term option.
Regardless of how this plays out, more than likely OSU could see a massive exodus in talent at quarterback over the next year.
Davis knows that, but he’s also smart enough to know that what’s happening now has zero impact on him should he commit. It wasn’t anybody’s plan for Ewers to show up early. He was supposed to get here in January and, at the bare minimum, spend a year behind a returning starter before spending two seasons as the guy. Then Davis would show up in 2024 and sit behind Ewers for a season before taking over.
It might not be that smooth anymore. There are no current plans for Davis to reclassify to the 2023 class. Yes, it was his original graduating year, but that’s because he started kindergarten early before his family realized how much younger he was than everyone else in his grade.
You can see Davis’ arm talent by clicking on a highlight tape, but his love for Fields isn’t just about the highlight plays. It’s about understanding the offense that developed him into the No. 11 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.
That’s the biggest takeaway from Davis’ two visits. He got a chance to sit down with Day and see what it’s like to be Ohio State’s quarterback.
“It’s like watching a master at work, honestly,” Davis said. “Coach Day, he is a true master of offense and being a head coach.”
He also gets “The Why.” He’s watched the evolution of OSU quarterbacks over the last decade from Braxton Miller, J.T. Barrett, Dwayne Haskins, Fields and whoever wins the battle this fall. Each had a specific skillset, but to an extent, each ran the same offense.
“Ohio State’s gonna keep (its standards) when it comes to certain stuff on offense,” Davis said. “But an RPO that Braxton Miller would run would probably only be a read-option because he’s a runner. With a guy like Dwayne Haskins, who’s more pro-style type, his RPO would be a true run and pass option. Then Justin Fields is good at both.”
Day and Davis basically took him through a light install of the offense. Then they took him outside and got him acquainted with the rest of the program. That meant playing dodge ball with the coaching staff and other recruits while being the victim of a well-executed plan by Dennis and Brian Hartline to get him out of the game and a chance to throw with 2022 wide receiver commit Kaleb Brown.
It also included a one-on-one basketball game that didn’t go so well for a certain running backs coach.
“Go ask Coach (Tony) Alford who beat him in basketball while I was up there,” Davis said.
The Buckeyes made a lasting impression. Day lived up to his reputation as a quarterback developer, while Dennis did his work as a recruiter. The rest of the staff did their part. Then the city of Columbus did the rest by offering a different perspective on northern schools than what he expected -- giving off the same feel as Charlotte, which is 30 minutes from his home in Fort Mill, South Carolina.
“I was talking to my father about this the other day how when you go to school, and you may see normal kids wearing an Ohio State hoodie,” Davis said. “You don’t really see normal kids wearing SEC jerseys down here.
“They really blew me away just how they help their guys off the field and how big the Ohio State just brand is in general. It’s a true brotherhood up there.”
Davis’ summer of traveling is over. Now he’s locked back into putting together a campaign worthy of the hype he spent the last two months building.
“I was going up there to prove that I am who I say I am,” Davis said. “My first goal was to one go up there and get an offer and show so that I can compete.”
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