COLUMBUS – The Buckeyes kicked off their annual football camps on Wednesday and had a pair of top 2023 quarterbacks in the building, both looking to earn a coveted Ohio State offer.
Jax Leatherwood stands out in a crowd, checking in at 6-foot-6 and it was easy to tell when he was throwing footballs in a group, being several inches taller than everyone else in the crowd. The Nevada commit from San Diego (Calif.) found himself throwing on the indoor field at the WHAC alongside Baylor commit Austin Novosad, both hoping to catch the eye of Corey Dennis and Ryan Day as the Buckeyes are still in pursuit of a class of 2023 quarterback.
“It felt like I got a lot of good coaching from coach (Ryan) Day and coach (Corey) Dennis, really trying to push me to get better at the little things,” Leatherwood said after the Wednesday camp. “Overall, just a great day.”
The Ohio State camps attract players from coast-to-coast and it was no short trip for Leatherwood to get to campus. While the end goal is to get an offer there also is a lot of teaching that goes into these events and that hands-on coaching means a lot to these players, even if it is in a short window.
“Literally we only worked with each other for like 10 minutes and I learned so much from that process right there,” Leatherwood added.
Of course, the question is, what if. What if the Buckeyes offer, what does that mean? With a commitment already given but schools taking a second and third look, what is the level of interest?
“Of course I am interested, I made the trip up here,” Leatherwood said. “I was really grateful for this experience because I was able to compete with some of the best.”
At least for now, an offer has not been extended with Novosad getting the lone quarterback offer of the day and the Buckeyes wanting to see more of Leatherwood’s senior season before making any sort of decision. Not getting an offer will not deter Leatherwood going into his senior season as he looks to lead Scripps Ranch in Southern CIF action this season.
And while both quarterbacks were looking to learn from the coaches, Leatherwood saw some things in Novosad that he knows that he needs to work on.
“I took a lot of little things from Austin (Novosad) because he’s super polished with his footwork and I am still out there, a little stretched out at times,” Leatherwood said. “I was really trying to dial it in with my feet and then really explode through the ball.”
Check out what else Leatherwood had to say in his post-camp interview and what he had to say about California quarterbacks as the Buckeyes have one this season with CJ Stroud.
