Dwayne Haskins, former Ohio State star, NFL quarterback, dead at 24

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback and former Ohio State star Dwayne Haskins was killed Saturday morning after getting hit by a car in South Florida, his agent told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Dwayne Haskins, a standout at Ohio State before becoming Washington’s first-round pick and playing in Pittsburgh, died this morning when he got hit by a car in South Florida, per his agent Cedric Saunders. Haskins would have turned 25 years old on May 3.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 9, 2022

Haskins, 24, was getting ready for his second season with the Steelers after starting his career with the Washington Commanders. He didn’t play for Pittsburgh last season, but the Steelers decided to bring him back to challenge Mitchell Trubisky for the starting job.

In two years with Washington before getting to Pittsburgh, Haskins threw for 2,804 yards and 12 touchdowns. The Commanders drafted him as the No. 15 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft after a standout career at Ohio State. With the Buckeyes, he was First Team All-Big Ten and the Big Ten Championship MVP in 2018 before also winning Rose Bowl MVP.

In 2017, he played in eight games and completed 70.2% of his passes for 565 yards and four touchdowns, while backing up J.T. Barrett. His performance against Michigan that season will always be remembered. Coming off the bench for an injured Barrett, he completed 6-of-7 pass attempts for 94 yards as the Buckeyes captured a 31-20 win.

Haskins revolutionized the Ohio State offense in the 2018 season. The quarterback took Ryan Day’s offense to the next level, showing off his big arm and breaking multiple school records. In the 2018 season, he completed 70% of his passes for 4,831 yards and 50 touchdowns. He finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting as Ohio State went 13-1 overall, including 8-1 in Big Ten play, before defeating Northwestern in the league championship game.

The Buckeyes then took on Washington in the Rose Bowl, defeating the Huskies 28-23. Haskins went 25-for-37 passing for 251 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Buckeyes charge. He then declared for the NFL Draft, and he became Washington’s first-round pick.

In his first season with the Commanders in 2019, Haskins started seven of the nine games he appeared in. He completed 58.6% of his passes for 1,365 yards and seven touchdowns that year as Washington went 3-13 under head coach Jay Gruden.

Then, in the pandemic-impacted 2020 season, Haskins played in seven games, including six starts, and put up similar numbers. He threw for 1,439 yards on 61.4% passing and five touchdowns.

That’s when Pittsburgh came calling and he served as a backup for Ben Roethlisberger, along with Mason Rudolph. Although Haskins didn’t play, Pittsburgh still gave him a contract worth $2.54 million this year to help back up Trubisky, who came in to presumably replace Roethlisberger.