Rocket-armed Dwayne Haskins helped usher in new era at Ohio State

COLUMBUS — All Dwayne Haskins did was change the course of Ohio State history.

He was a rocket-armed revolution. A gun-slinging, secondary-slicing, record-breaking superstar who in just one season as a starter set the stage for everything the quarterback position could become for the Buckeyes.

Quite simply: There is probably no Justin Fields and certainly no C.J. Stroud without Dwayne Haskins first. And while he didn’t do all that work alone during his sensational ascent from first-time starter to Heisman Trophy finalist, Haskins was obviously the face of the evolutionary work alongside a dynamic cast of wide receivers and elite offensive play-caller Ryan Day.

Even though it was only four years ago, that simple fact seems to have either largely faded or been overwhelmed by the pointless debates comparing him and Joe Burrow. Here’s another clear-cut truth: Haskins was picked for good reason after leading the remarkable comeback off the bench in The Game, and then his numbers in 2018 unequivocally validated that decision while Burrow was still a year away from his own next-level emergence.

None of that really matters now, and neither do any of the growing pains he endured in the NFL. Here’s hoping the unfathomably tragic events of Saturday morning when Haskins lost his life far too early after being struck by a car can help restore more appreciation for his almost otherworldly accomplishments with the Buckeyes.

The Comeback. The Heisman Trophy run — and snub. The Ohio State single-season record book that required dramatic edits by the time he was done as a junior. The Rose Bowl sendoff.

It was all that work on the field that paved the way for the next two Heisman Trophy finalists that have followed his footsteps, and it provided a powerful piece of evidence that Ohio State had built a platform that was finally ready to develop and showcase elite quarterbacks and explosive passing attacks. Haskins unlocked all of that for the Buckeyes, and that impact should resonate for years to come.

He also did it with a smile on his face and seemingly boundless love for his teammates. Dwayne Haskins was always incredibly generous with his time off the field. He was confident in himself, without question, but his strong faith kept him humble while allowing those around him to believe in Haskins as a leader. And on top of it all, Haskins was fiercely loyal to a tight-knit family that was also integral to his rise at Ohio State.

Inside the Woody Hayes Athletic Center, none of that will ever be forgotten. The truth is it hadn’t been anyway, and Stroud had just brought up the impact of Dwayne Haskins merely three days earlier. But that standard will certainly take on an even greater importance now.

“I appreciate the older guys for helping me,” Stroud said on Wednesday. “My role is just to be a big brother to the guys now and show them guidance, show them the things that I see. Maybe I could help them they see different. I know Justin Fields did that with me. I know Dwayne did that with his guys.

“I mean, I just think that’s just the Buckeye Way.”

Haskins may have only been the on-field embodiment of that for a little more than a season at Ohio State.

But in that brief window of time, Dwayne Haskins helped alter the entire trajectory of a program and authored a legacy that deserves to be remembered.