Cardale Jones confirmed his future plans on Wednesday.
The Ohio State quarterback told media gathered for Friday’s upcoming Fiesta Bowl that he will be entering the 2016 NFL Draft. This ends months of speculation as to whether or not Jones would be staying with the Buckeyes beyond this season.
#OhioState QB Cardale Jones reveals intentions for 2016 #NFLDraft.
–> https://t.co/d7FUVIcp24 pic.twitter.com/NtHbRuiQvn
— NFL Draft (@NFLDraft) December 30, 2015
Cardale Jones Confirms NFL Ambitions
Jones came to prominence at the tail end of last season when he was named starter in the 2014 Big Ten Championship game after J.T. Barrett suffered a broken ankle in the regular season finale against Michigan. Making the first start of his career, he threw for 257 yards and three touchdowns in a 59-0 rout of Wisconsin that allowed OSU to sneak into the inaugural College Football Playoff as a four seed. He also averaged 242.5 yards passing and accounted for three total touchdowns in the Bucks two CFP wins en route to their first national title since 2003.
The Cleveland, OH native beat out Barrett for the starting job heading into 2015. However, a string of inconsistent and mistake-prone performances forced head coach Urban Meyer to name Barrett starter for Ohio State’s October 24th game at Rutgers. The redshirt sophomore was lights out against the Scarlet Knights, accounting for 324 all-purpose yards including 101 on the ground while adding five total touchdowns in a decisive 49-7 win.
It was around that time that more questions began to be asked as to Jones’ future in Columbus beyond 2015. They became even more pronounced after a rather innocuous Twitter post after Ohio State’s shock 17-14 loss to Michigan State that all but ended their hopes for a repeat appearance in the CFP.
Last time walking down them steps and into The Shoe, wish the results were different tho pic.twitter.com/BalXhHTOS7
— Cardale Jones (@CJ1two) November 22, 2015
Jones finishes his college career with an 11-0 record as a starter. He is expected to be one of a handful of OSU underclassmen expected to make the jump to the NFL. Among the more prominent names are Big Ten offensive player of the year in running back Ezekiel Elliott and defensive end Joey Bosa, who was named the conference’s defensive lineman of the year.
According to mock draft website WalterFootball.com, Jones is rated as the fifth best quarterback prospect and projects as mid-to-late second round pick.
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