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The Ohio State Buckeyes have been college football title contenders since the mid 90s. They stand as one of the most consistent programs in the history of college football with an all-time winning percentage of 0.741, ranking them third amongst all programs.

The university has won eight National titles, the most recent of which came in the Urban Meyer era, with the Buckeyes winning the National Championship in 2014. They have since returned to the big game, but fallen just short.

The Buckeyes are one of the most dominant college football teams in history, and this article will break down the greatest quarterbacks to ever play college football in Columbus, Ohio.

History of Ohio State Quarterbacks

The quarterback position at Ohio State has been on a really strong run since 2010, with the Buckeyes retooling with talents like Justin Fields, who they picked up in the transfer portal. Internal quarterback battles have been competitive with multiple talented players transferring away from the program, including the eventual Heisman Trophy winner and National Champion Joe Burrow.

The Buckeyes have one quarterback of their own who has won the Heisman award, as well as multiple National Championship-winning signal callers and eventual first round draft picks. Justin Fields became the latest to make his way into the NFL, having been drafted by the Chicago Bears in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft.

Active Ohio State Players In The NFL

As of September 15, 2022, the Ohio State Buckeyes have 52 former players on active NFL rosters. That number is tied for the second most alongside LSU, with Alabama featuring 58 former players. The Buckeyes have produced some phenomenal talent with players such as Ezekiel Elliott, Denzel Ward, Terry McLaurin, Chase Young, Michael Thomas, Cameron Heyward, and the Bosa brothers, Nick and Joey.

Ranking the 10 Greatest Ohio State Quarterbacks of All Time

The Buckeyes winning percentage is pretty impressive. Being that good for that long consistently is not easy to do, but the Buckeyes have been doing it for a long time, accruing eight titles, 10 undefeated seasons, 27 bowl game wins and 7 Heisman Trophy winners.

Let’s take a look at the quarterbacks that helped them get there, ranking the 10 best Ohio State Buckeyes QBs of all time.

10. Cardale Jones (2013-2015)

Hometown - Cleveland, Ohio

Cardale Jones’s story is unique. He made his first start for the Buckeyes in 2014 during the Big Ten Championship Game in relief of JT Barrett, who’d been injured in the Buckeyes previous game against the Michigan Wolverines. Jones had never started a college football game before that night, having entered the season as the team's third option.

Jones led the Buckeyes to a 59-0 win over the Wisconsin Badgers, and was named MVP of the game. Two games later, Jones would lead Ohio State to the 2015 National Championship title with a win over the Oregon Ducks. Jones had started just three games for the Buckeyes, and helped to bring a national title to Ohio State University.

He was named the starter for the following season, but was benched for Barrett seven games into the season. Jones would declare for the 2016 NFL Draft, where he was drafted in the fourth round by the Buffalo Bills. He bounced around the league a little, and featured in just one game. He was given an opportunity as the starting quarterback for the DC Defenders of the XFL, and played before the league suspended their football operations later that season.

9. Art Schlichter (1978-1981)

Hometown - Bloomingburg, Ohio

Former Ohio State QB Art Schlichter threw for 7,457 yards and 50 touchdowns during his four years as a Buckeye, while rushing for another 1,303 yards and 35 touchdowns on the ground. Schlichter ranked in the top six among Heisman Trophy candidates three years in a row, and was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts with the fourth overall selection in 1982.

His NFL career was totally derailed by personal issues that saw him suspended multiple times and eventually released by the Colts. He threw just three touchdowns to 11 interceptions as a pro. 

8. Terrelle Pryor (2008-2010)

Hometown - Jeannette, Pennsylvania

Terrelle Pryor won two Big Ten Championships with the Ohio State Buckeyes between 2008-2010. He was named the Big Ten freshman of the year in 2008 and both the school and scouts across the country had high hopes for his talents. Pryor had run a 4.4-second 40-yard dash in high school and had the ability to take off on foot as a dual-threat QB.

Pryor threw 57 touchdowns to 26 interceptions during his three-year tenure, with over 2,000 total rushing yards and 17 rushing touchdowns to his name as well. His college career was tainted by allegations of selling memorabilia, leading to Pryor eventually withdrawing from the University.

He went on to play pro football as the quarterback of the Oakland Raiders, starting 10 games between 2012-2013. He switched to play wide receiver for the Cleveland Browns in 2015, recording a 1,000-yard receiving season the following year. He caught seven total touchdowns during stints with the Browns, Redskins, Jets and Bills.

7. Craig Krenzel (2000-2003)

Hometown - Sterling Heights, Michigan

Craig Krenzel led the Buckeyes to a 24-2 record during his tenure as the teams starting quarterback, leading the Buckeyes to a National Championship in 2002. The Buckeyes went 14-0 that year, defeating the No. 1 ranked Miami Hurricanes in the National Championship game in double overtime.

He threw 28 touchdowns to 21 interceptions with a 57 per cent completion rate during his tenure, and graduated with a degree in molecular genetics and a 3.75 GPA. Krenzel was named a First Team All American and Academic All American of the Year.

Krenzel was drafted by the Chicago Bears, and started his rookie season. He threw three touchdowns and six interceptions, and was cut by the Bears in 2005. He served as the third string QB for the Bengals the following year, but an elbow injury resulted in him being cut once again, and he wouldn’t return to the NFL.

6. Dwayne Haskins (2017-2018)

Hometown - Highland Park, New Jersey

Haskins started for the Buckeyes for just one season in 2018, having served as the team's back up and relief quarterback to JT Barrett in 2017. As it transpired, one season was all he needed to rewrite the schools record books.

Dwayne Haskins threw for 4,831 yards and 50 touchdowns, while throwing just eight interceptions, setting Ohio State records in both passing yards and touchdowns thrown. He belongs to a list of just seven NCAA quarterbacks to have thrown 50 touchdowns in a single season. Haskins also broke records for all-purpose yardage, total offensive yards in a game and total passing yards in a game.

Haskins was drafted in the first round of the 2019 NFL draft by the Washington Redskins, but was released during his second season amidst questions over his commitment and work ethic. He then signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers, before his tragic and untimely death in April of 2022. He was 24 years old.

5. CJ Stroud (2020-Present)

Hometown - Rancho Cucamonga, California

CJ Stroud has continued to get better and better as the starting quarterback for the Buckeyes following the departure of Justin Fields. Stroud officially took over in 2021, and finished his first full season with 4,435 passing yards, 44 touchdowns and just six interceptions. He built excellent connections with wide receivers Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson, who were both selected in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft.

Stroud's performance in 2021 resulted in him being named a Heisman Trophy finalist, an award he is one of the favorites to win in 2022. Stroud is expected to be a popular name in the 2023 NFL draft, with high expectations for the ‘22 season. He has already cemented himself as one of the top quarterbacks in the history of the program, and is not finished yet.

4. Braxton Miller (2011-2015)

Hometown - Springfield, Ohio

Miller is another of the Buckeyes top quarterbacks who grew up in Ohio. He was recruited and received offers from Alabama, Florida, Georgia and many other schools, but stayed home to play for the Buckeyes.

He played quarterback for three full seasons, starting 36 games and throwing for over 5,000 yards and 52 touchdowns, while contributing another 3,000 yards on the ground with a further 32 rushing touchdowns.

He was named Big 10 Freshman of the Year in 2011, and went on to win the Big 10 MVP award, Offensive Player of the Year award and First Team All Big 10 Honors in both 2012 and 2013.

Miller sustained an injury to his throwing shoulder in the final game of the Buckeyes 2013 season which resulted in him switching to play wide receiver.

Despite the late change in his college career, Braxton Miller was drafted in the third round of the 2016 NFL draft by the Houston Texans, where he played for two seasons.

3. J.T. Barrett (2014-2017)

Hometown - Fort Sill, Oklahoma

It was J.T. Barrett who took over from Braxton Miller when he sustained his shoulder injury. Barrett was expected to back up Miller in 2014 but ended up taking over as a redshirt freshman, having redshirted the 2013 season.

Barrett played for four seasons with the Buckeyes, throwing for 9,434 yards, 104 touchdowns to 30 interceptions, and another 3,263 rushing yards with 43 rushing touchdowns. His 9,434 total yards is a school record, as is Barrett's 104 touchdown passes.

Barrett is the only quarterback on either side of the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry to go 4-0 in those rival games, and he’s a legend amongst Buckeye fans as a result. Barrett is also a National Championship winner, despite not playing in the game itself. The 2015 title came in the year Barrett got hurt, resulting in Cardale Jones coming in to finish the job he had started.

Barrett went undrafted in the 2018 NFL Draft, and spent time with the Saints, Seahawks and Steelers. He is now an offensive assistant for the Detroit Lions.

2. Justin Fields (2019-2020)

Hometown - Kennesaw, Georgia

Justin Fields originally committed to the Georgia Bulldogs, but after relationships broke down there, he transferred to Ohio State, where he would take over as the starter in 2019.

Fields' statistics as a Buckeye were phenomenal, going 20-2 as a starter. In just two seasons, he threw for 5,701 yards, 67 touchdowns and nine interceptions, amassing a 68.4 per cent average completion percentage. Fields' ability to run earned him another 1,133 yards and 19 rushing touchdowns during his tenure as a Buckeye.

The talented young star led Ohio State to the College Football Playoffs in both seasons, meeting the Clemson Tigers in the playoff semi-final on both occasions. They lost the first year, but Fields' performance against the Tigers in the rematch of the 2020 season will go down as one of the school's greatest performances. Fields took a nasty hit to the body during the game, which he was clearly hindered by, but played through the pain and led the Buckeyes to a big win.

They fell short to Alabama in the National Championship game, but Justin Fields cemented his place as one of the greatest quarterbacks in Ohio State football history. He received the Big 10 Offensive Player of the Year award as well as the Conferences quarterback of the year award in both 2019 and 2020.

Justin Fields was selected 11th overall by the Chicago Bears in the 2021 NFL draft. The Bears traded up with the New York Giants in order to select him, giving up multiple first round picks.

1. Troy Smith (2003-2006)

Hometown - Columbus, Ohio

Troy Smith was the starting quarterback for the Buckeyes for three seasons, but it was his 2006 season that cemented his legacy as the greatest Ohio State Buckeye quarterback to ever play for the university. Smith threw for 2,542 yards, completing 66 per cent of his passes while throwing 30 touchdowns to just six interceptions. While that doesn’t seem so crazy compared to some of the most recent years totals, at the time he was tearing college football apart.

Smith received 91.6 per cent of the Heisman Trophy votes, a number so high it held the record for 13 years. He won the award by the second-highest margin in the history of the Heisman Trophy, behind only OJ Simpson in the 1968 season.

Following the 2006 season, Smith was named the Heisman Trophy winner, a consensus All-American, the Sporting News College Football Player of the Year, the Fiesta Bowl MVP, the AP Player of the Year and won both the Walter Camp and Davey O’Brien awards, awards granted to the best player and the best quarterback in college football respectively.

The Buckeyes would fall short in the National Championship game, losing to the Florida Gators, but that 2006 season marked one of the best college football teams in Ohio State history.

Smith was drafted late in the fifth round of the 2007 NFL Draft after being considered undersized by many scouts, standing at 5ft 11in. He spent three years with the Ravens, and one with the 49ers before moving on to the CFL. He would start just eight games, throwing eight touchdowns and five interceptions.