Cardale Jones will forever be remembered in Columbus.
In 2014, Jones emerged as a cult hero at Ohio State. He started fall camp as a third-string quarterback that year. Braxton Miller went down with a season-ending shoulder injury before the season started, and JT Barrett suffered a fractured ankle in the regular-season finale against Ohio State.
In stepped Jones for the Buckeyes – who finished 11-1 in the regular season – and led a national championship run that included victories against Wisconsin in the Big Ten championship game and No. 1 Alabama and No. 3 Oregon in the first four-team College Football Playoff.
So, his advice for the quarterback situation at Ohio State is valuable.
“If you’ve got two quarterbacks, you’ve got none,” Jones said on “The Script” podcast this week. “If I’m Ryan Day and I’m on this offensive staff, I’m making sure whoever I let go out there and be the starting quarterback feel like we are gonna win or lose with this guy.”
Ohio State coach Ryan Day has not named a starting quarterback between Luke Fahey and Tavien St. Clair for Saturday’s matchup against USC at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The Buckeyes lost starting quarterback Julian Sayin – a Heisman Trophy finalist in 2025 – who suffered a right arm injury in the 19-15 victory against Indiana on Oct. 17.
Day, however, has used Jones as a point of reference for those quarterbacks.
“I shared with them and shared with the team the story of when we won a national championship here with Cardale being the third-string quarterback,” Day said in a press conference on Oct. 20. “So it’s been done before. That’s a challenge to them, but it’s also a challenge to the entire team.”
MORE: Which unbeaten loses first, Utah, Miami or UCLA?
Cardale Jones led Ohio State national title run in 2014
There are similarities to 2014. Barrett finished fifth in the Heisman Trophy voting that season despite the injury against the Wolverines. He had 2,834 passing yards, 938 rushing yards and 45 total TDs that season. Jones – a 6-foot-5, 250-pound quarterback – brought a different skill set to the field. In an interview with Eleven Warriors this week, Jones credited coach Urban Meyer and offensive coordinator Tom Herman for tailoring his skillet to the offense.
“I think it just took the guys around me upping their play,” Jones told Eleven Warriors. “I think the talent or the confidence was never an issue for me, personally. My coaches may think differently, but I think just coming into a situation where I felt as comfortable as possible with the talent around me.”
Jones also said the biggest hurdle was adjusting socially to the celebrity status of being Ohio State’s quarterback – and he can now laugh at a famous tweet he sent when he was the backup. He also learned a lesson from watching Kenny Guiton – a backup who won three starts at Ohio State in place of Miller in 2013.
Jones brought a different element to the Buckeyes’ offense that season with a strong arm in the deep passing game, which opened up the running game for Ezekiel Elliott – who had an eye-popping 696 rushing yards and eight TDs in those three starts.
Jones made the most of the next three starts. He had 257 passing yards and three TDs in the 59-0 victory against No. 11 Wisconsin in the Big Ten championship game, which helped the Buckeyes vault No. 5 Baylor and No. 6 TCU in the final CFP rankings.
He had 243 passing yards and 43 rushing yards with a TD and an interception in a 42-35 against No. 1 Alabama in the CFP semifinals at the Sugar Bowl then led Ohio State to a 42-20 victory against Oregon with 242 passing yards, 38 rushing yards and two total TDs in the CFP championship game.
Jones would win the starting job initially from Barrett in 2015 before Barrett re-took the job later that season.
MORE: Projecting the College Football Playoff bracket entering Week 9
Cardale Jones on Luke Fahey, Tavien St. Clair
This is a different situation at Ohio State. Jones was a redshirt sophomore when he took over for Barrett in 2014. Fahey is a true freshman, and St. Clair is a redshirt freshman. Fahey is 9 of 13 for 202 yards, two TDs and two interceptions. St. Clair is 5 of 9 for 52 yards, a TD and an interception.
The Buckeyes are 6-1 with a 4-0 record in Big Ten play, so a loss against the Trojans isn’t a deal-breaker in the 12-team College Football Playoff era. The Buckeyes also have Heisman Trophy front-runner Jeremiah Smith, who leads the Big Ten with 984 receiving yards and 12 TDs. Ohio State’s defense also ranks fifth in the FBS in scoring defense at 13.4 points per game.
While Jones believes Day must pick a starting quarterback, he said on “The Script” that does not mean the other quarterback shouldn’t be ready. He compared the situation to Oregon with Dylan Raiola and Brock Thomas after Dante Moore was injured against USC on Sept. 26.
Yes, the Buckeyes have enough talent for one of those quarterbacks to make a run like Jones did in the 2014 season. But it’s going to come down to which one stands out against the Trojans on Saturday.
“I don’t view Tavien and Luke as so polar opposites that you need a two-quarterback system,” Jones said. “I think both of these guys bring a lot to the offense in the passing game and in the running game.”
