In the words of Ric Flair, “to be the man, you have to beat the man.”
Cardale Jones has the best three game run of any quarterback in history, after claiming a Big Ten title in his starting debut — followed by consecutive big time upsets against Alabama and Oregon, leading the Buckeyes to the crown in the inaugural College Football Playoff.
For all the talk about Heisman campaigns, or NFL stardom, Jones returned to Ohio State knowing that he’s never beat out the two guys in front of him.
Jones still considers himself a third-stringer on the most hyped quarterback trio in college football history.
“We as a team and me as an individual get a lot of praise for how well we did in those games, but I didn’t even grade out as a champion as far as coach’s standards,” Jones said. “I haven’t proven anything yet. I haven’t proven anything to myself, my teammates, my coaches to label myself as a starter. That’s my opinion, my personal opinion.
“I’m kind of harder on myself than the coaches, but I was thrown into that position. I didn’t beat out J.T. [Barrett] going into the Michigan game. I didn’t beat out Braxton [Miller]. Unfortunately both guys got hurt, and luckily enough I was prepared to try to take advantage of the situation.”
All three will enter summer camp in a few weeks, healthy and prepared for the battle of a lifetime. Jones will still be drafted whenever he declares, but he truly could go from national champion to third string in a matter of months.