(AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
NEW ORLEANS — About a dozen reporters crowd around a small podium. It’s bare, save for a white tag with the name “Cardale Jones.”
There are still 15 minutes until Ohio State’s third-string starting quarterback and his teammates’ attendance are expected to show up.
Once the Buckeyes arrive, Jones heads to the back of the room where the throng of media has grown to 20 or so. He passes tight end Jeff Heuerman, who only has about seven reporters around his table.
“If you need any help over there, just text me,” Heuerman says.
The two laugh. But Heuerman knows Jones will be just fine as the center of attention.
In his first start for Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship against Wisconsin, Jones — stepping up for an injured J.T. Barrett — went 10 of 17 for 257 yards and three touchdowns in the Buckeyes 59-0 win.
His experience as a starter is limited to 56 plays and up next is No. 1 Alabama, but his teammates and coaches aren’t worried or nervous. Sure, Jones isn’t in an ideal situation, hasn’t faced much adversity, and as a sophomore, still has a ways to grow. But he’s moving in the right direction.
“I can’t remember when it was, but me and coach (Urban) Meyer were walking back from our two-a-day practice field and it was just me and him and he looks at me and he goes, ‘Do you think Cardale Jones can ever play quarterback at Ohio State?’ And I looked at him and without hesitation I looked him right in the eye and I said yes.” Ohio State offensive coordinator — soon-to-be Houston coach — Tom Herman said Sunday.
“He was like, ‘You didn’t even think about it.’ And I said, ‘We’ll get there, we’ll get there. He needs a little more seasoning than some, but we’ll get there.’ And he’s still not there yet, let’s not anoint the kid just yet.”
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This is more of a recent development, as Herman said Jones had some learning to do before becoming the starting quarterback. But when Barrett went down with an ankle injury, Herman didn’t have a choice. Luckily, Jones is growing up fast.
“He started acting like a man and doing things he was told to do and doing them right and 100% and giving great effort and acting like a real dude,” Herman said. “And guess what. When you act like a real dude, I’m usually not on your ass a whole lot. You tell him to be at a meeting at 2 and he’s there at 1:52.
“For whatever reason, he has started acting like a man instead of a boy.”
If Jones plays well in the Sugar Bowl — and potentially a national championship game — the Buckeyes will have an interesting problem on their hands for next year. Miller, a Heisman Trophy contender this preseason, and Barrett, who finished fifth in the Heisman voting, will both be healthy by then, which means this team could have three capable quarterbacks deserving of a starting job.
Will Jones be there by then?
As of right now, the confidence is there, but he’s not thinking about that stuff. He’s not staying up at night wondering if this game could be a career-changer.
“I don’t allow myself to think to tomorrow, actually,” he said. “I take it one day at a time, just grasp everything in front of me at this point in time.”
