On May 20, Ryan Day, Chip Kelly, and Ohio State offered their first quarterback of the 2027 recruiting cycle, quarterback prospect Caden Jones. May and June are when recruiting starts to heat up in college football. An abundance of recruiting camps and 7-on-7 competitions take place. This is also a lighter time on the practice schedule for collegiate teams, allowing coaches to travel and scout prospects. Ohio State Linebacker coach James Laurinaitis is also credited in the recruiting process in Jones’ tweet confirming the offer.
Caden Jones is entering his sophomore year at Crean Lutheran High School in Irvine, California. Despite having limited time on the varsity football field, Jones has nearly fifteen offers. In his freshman season, while on the varsity field, Jones threw for 343 yards and 4 touchdowns.
Caden Jones measures in at 6’2 165 pounds as a freshman, the prototypical size for a Division One quarterback. On his recruiting profile, Jones is listed as an athlete, which is due to Jones taking snaps at wide receiver at the varsity level while he wasn’t under center in his freshman year. He is expected to be the starting quarterback next season, and most teams are recruiting him as a quarterback.
Caden Jones has displayed elite size and athleticism early in his career, contributing to the attention he’s received in the recruiting process.
The future at the quarterback position for Ohio State is bright. In today’s day and age of college football, quarterback movement is inevitable, making it hard to retain young quarterbacks after starter competitions. However, the Buckeyes have been able to keep their young quarterbacks in recent years, while also bringing in transfers.
The current young quarterbacks on the roster are freshman Julian Sayin, sophomore Lincoln Kienholz, and freshman Air Noland, who will all be competing for the starting quarterback job next season.
In the 2026 class, the Buckeyes have offered ten different quarterbacks but have not yet received a commitment. Among those ten quarterbacks, Jared Curtis is the only one who has committed elsewhere, as he verbally committed to Georgia. Faizon Brandon, the number one ranked recruit in the class, received his Ohio State offer recently and has a warm interest in the Buckeyes according to 247 Sports.
