Correspondent photo / Robert Hayes. Former Ohio State quarterback Cardale Jones (left) works out with former YSU QB Mitch Davidson (right) during the Penguins’ Pro Day on Wednesday afternoon.

YOUNGSTOWN — Former Ohio State star quarterback Cardale Jones says he never envisioned himself becoming a “QB guru” or quarterbacks coach.

But when Youngstown State quarterback Mitch Davidson reached out to him through a mutual friend to inquire about helping him prepare for the NFL Draft and professional football, Jones was intrigued.

“It’s been interesting,” Jones said. “Mitch is a guy that’s more than capable enough to play at the next level. I was honored for him to reach out to me and help him get through this process and hone some of his skills. It’s been great to see his transition.”

After the end of YSU’s season in the second round of the FCS playoffs at Villanova in December, Davidson and the rest of YSU’s senior draft-eligible players got to work to prepare for YSU’s Pro Day and the NFL Draft process.

They went their separate ways to work out and start getting ready. Receiver Bryce Oliver went down to Florida, but Davidson stayed a little closer to home. He went down to Columbus on Jan. 8 and began working out with Jones on Jan. 10.

The two had actually worked together briefly last summer before the start of Davidson’s 2023 season with YSU, but they reconnected again in January and have since been working out together over the past few months to prepare Davidson for YSU’s Pro Day last week.

“It was actually a Youngstown connection, which was how I first got connected with him, but honestly the dude has been amazing,” Davidson said after Pro Day. “To have a guy like Cardale Jones in my corner through this process has been nothing but amazing. … People might think he’s going to be this serious dude, but not at all. He’s chilled out, relaxed and just playing quarterback, which is something we’ve been doing our entire life. So learning from him has been awesome.”

A multi-sport athlete in Northeast Ohio in high school, Jones helped lead Cleveland Glenville to the Division I state championship game in 2009. As a three-star recruit, he was then recruited by Ohio State and committed to the Buckeyes in October 2011.

After redshirting in 2012, Jones didn’t play much in 2013 and the same looked to be the case heading into the 2014 season, as he was third on Ohio State’s depth chart behind Braxton Miller and JT Barrett.

Due to some injuries by the end of the season, Jones ended up leading Ohio State to a 59-0 victory over Wisconsin in the Big Ten championship game before then leading the Buckeyes to wins over Alabama and Oregon to win the 2014 College Football Playoff National Championship.

He split time with Barrett at quarterback during 2015, before entering the NFL Draft in 2016, when he was drafted in the fourth round by the Buffalo Bills. He has played for the Bills, Chargers and Seahawks in his pro football career, as well as the XFL’s DC Defenders, CFL’s Edmonton Elks and IFL’s Massachusetts Pirates.

“You look at a guy like him who did it at the highest level in college and then that transferred to the NFL where he was actually pretty successful as a draft pick playing in the NFL,” Davidson said. “He’s been around everywhere and he kind of knows the ropes.”

Davidson finished his career with several of the Penguins’ major passing records in his first and final full season as the team’s starting quarterback.

In YSU’s final game, he became the first quarterback in program history to throw for more than 3,000 yards, making him YSU’s most prolific passer for a single season. He now also owns the single-season passing records for most attempts (368), completions (256), completion percentage (69.6%) and yards per game (237.5), while having the second-most passing touchdowns in a season (24).

But even with all the numbers, during his time at YSU, Davidson’s coaches and teammates had always described him as a student of the game.

“I think he has everything, he has a leadership role with his guys and he has the work ethic,” Jones said. “The way he can dissect basic information and the way he can apply it, I think that’s a huge thing for quarterbacks. Not just knowing it in the classroom, but going out there and applying it on a football field.”

Still, even with his successful college career, Davidson had things he needed to work on to prepare for the next level. He said some of the things Jones has worked on with him include dissecting defenses, being aware of protections and understanding blitz pick ups.

The throwing and the arm strength with his upper body was there, but Davidson said Jones has helped him with improving his lower body, which can help with movement in the pocket as a quarterback.

“Ultimately overall, just understanding how different the game is at the next level than college,” Jones said. “He’s a guy that’s more than capable enough to take in the intellectual part of the game, especially with his position. But I think (during Pro Day) and through this process, he’s proven that he’s more than capable enough physically to do it, as well. I think he has all the intangibles. I’m unbiasedly saying that he can have success at the next level, and hopefully he gets a shot.”

Have an interesting story? Contact Neel Madhavan by email at nmadhavan@tribtoday.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @NeelMadhavan.