Ryan Day discusses how Dwayne Haskins played big brother role to Justin Fields, CJ Stroud

To see the impact Dwayne Haskins had on the Ohio State quarterback position, look no further than Justin Fields and CJ Stroud. But off the field, Haskins made sure to look out for the future Buckeyes.

Ryan Day spoke Monday about Haskins’ role as a “big brother” to Fields and Stroud. Haskins headed to the NFL Draft after his record-breaking 2018 season, and Fields took over as QB1 that following season. After two years with the Buckeyes, Fields went to the NFL and Stroud took the baton from there in 2021.

Day said Haskins was still present as Fields and Stroud starred for the Buckeyes, serving as a resource if they needed anything. He added that comes with being a quarterback at Ohio State. After all, Haskins’ predecessors did the same thing for him.

“I think he was kind of a big brother to those guys, to Justin, I think even CJ,” Day said. “When you come through Ohio State and you play the position and you walk in those shoes, only a few people quite understand what that’s like. He did.

“He was a great resource for those guys, just like J.T. [Barrett] and Braxton [Miller] … and Cardale [Jones] were big brothers to Dwayne. And I know he and Joe [Burrow] stayed in touch. Those guys were friends and they competed, but they had so much respect for each other. It’s a little bit of a tight group there because it’s such a unique position.”

Justin Fields reacts to death of Dwayne Haskins

Without Dwayne Haskins, Justin Fields probably doesn’t land at Ohio State. After the news of Haskins’ death on Saturday, Fields took to Instagram to write a tribute to the former Buckeyes quarterback.

Haskins played at Ohio State from 2016 to 2018, setting the stage for Fields to take the baton after transferring from Georgia. It was a tough act to follow, though. As a senior in 2018, Haskins completing 70% of his passes for 4,831 yards and 50 touchdowns. Fields came in from Georgia the following season.

After the news came out about Haskins’ death, Fields wrote a tribute to his fellow former Buckeye on his Instagram story.

“Don’t even know what to say fr,” Fields wrote. “Always made sure I was solid. RIP to my brother.”

Haskins was the first breakout star of Ryan Day’s offense, and Fields became the starter as Day took over as head coach. The impressive numbers continued. In 2019 — one year after Haskins’ record-setting year — Fields threw for 3,273 yards and 41 touchdowns to help Ohio State to a 13-1 record. In eight games the next year, Fields completed 70.2% of his passes for 2,100 yards and 22 touchdowns to help the Buckeyes to the national championship game.