Paul Vernon/Associated Press

Ohio State QB Matthew Baldwin to Transfer After Competition with Justin Fields

Scott Polacek

One of college football's biggest powerhouses is reportedly entering the 2019 campaign dangerously thin at the quarterback position.

According to Austin Ward of Lettermen Row, Ohio State head coach Ryan Day confirmed Thursday that signal-caller Matthew Baldwin will enter his name in the NCAA transfer portal. 

While the Buckeyes received a boost this offseason when former Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Justin Fields transferred to the reigning Big Ten champions, this move means West Virginia transfer Chris Chugunov is the only other scholarship quarterback on the roster after Dwayne Haskins departed for the NFL.

Ward cited sources who said Baldwin's decision was more about being closer to his Texas home than potentially losing the starting battle to Fields, as Day had not yet officially declared a winner.

One could argue that no college football team has been affected more by the transfer portal this offseason than Ohio State.

Its presumed starting quarterback, Fields, transferred to the school and was deemed immediately eligible by the NCAA. What's more, Tate Martell transferred to Miami after backing up Haskins last season and didn't participate in spring practice with the Buckeyes.

Both Fields and Baldwin appeared in the annual spring game, and Day was not ready to deem either the starter moving forward after the contest, per Dan Murphy of ESPN.com: "I don't think right now that we're going to make a decision. It'll continue through the preseason. These guys have to keep going. They'll probably all have to play in some way, shape or form along the way."

Baldwin spent the majority of last season rehabbing from knee surgery and was not needed with Haskins and Martell on the roster.

However, it is not difficult to envision a scenario in which he could have seen the field in 2019 with an injury or poor play from Fields. It was just in 2015 that Ohio State won the national championship even with injuries to starter Braxton Miller and backup J.T. Barrett, as Cardale Jones played the role of hero off the bench.

Alas, the quarterback job is now Fields, and the Buckeyes may not be able to afford a quarterback injury in 2019 with so little depth.

   

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