Scarlet Sunrise: Reviewing when Ohio State has named starting QBs in Ryan Day era
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Reviewing when Ohio State has named starting quarterbacks in Ryan Day era
Trying to figure out if Ryan Day was going to name an Ohio State starting quarterback by the end of spring ball would have been a fool’s errand.
Day believes in competition bringing out the best of his team at every position, and especially at the quarterback position. That’s why the sixth-year head coach likes to take the battle for QB1 into late August. Last year, he was even comfortable with having it continue into the regular season.
This time around, Ohio State has five scholarship quarterbacks. Day will obviously be part of the decision-making process, however, the quarterback room is led by his mentor Chip Kelly, who serves as both offensive coordinator and play caller.
Kansas State grad transfer Will Howard arrived as the frontrunner for the job. But redshirt sophomore Devin Brown has stuck around and bounced back from a gut-wrenching and injury-riddled Cotton Bowl performance with a strong spring. Then there’s true freshman Julian Sayin, the On3 Industry Ranking’s No. 2 quarterback in the 2024 class who transferred in from Alabama as an early enrollee. Sayin is in the mix for the gig, too, although Howard and Brown have experience Sayin doesn’t.
In all likelihood, it will be months before Day announces his starting quarterback for Week 1 of the 2024 season. But, in the meantime, Lettermen Row is reviewing when Day revealed the winner of the previous four competitions under center during his run as full-time and, before that, acting head coach.
DWAYNE HASKINS JR. (2018)
- Competing with … Joe Burrow (transferred after spring ball), Tate Martell
- Day he became starter … Aug. 27
The late Dwayne Haskins Jr. started one full season at Ohio State before becoming a first-round NFL Draft pick. His heroic spot duty performance against Michigan while filling in for an injured J.T. Barrett in 2017 put Haskins in the pole position for the QB1 spot heading into the offseason. A hand injury the previous summer set Joe Burrow back in the pecking order, and he saw the writing on the wall the following spring. Burrow transferred to LSU, and Haskins beat out Tate Martell for the starting job. Leading up to the season opener, Day — the acting head coach during Urban Meyer’s suspension — announced Haskins as the Buckeyes’ go-to signal caller.
JUSTIN FIELDS (2019)
- Competing with … Matthew Baldwin (transferred after spring ball), Gunnar Hoak and Chris Chugunov
- Day he became starter … Aug. 19
When Ohio State brought in Justin Fields from Georgia, many outside the program anointed him the starter long before Day did. Matthew Baldwin transferred after spring ball. But Kentucky transfer Gunnar Hoak and Chris Chugunov, who transferred in from West Virginia after the 2017 season, were still around. Fields, unsurprisingly, emerged as the guy before launching a prolific two-year run with the Buckeyes.
C.J. STROUD (2021)
- Competing with … Kyle McCord, Jack Miller III
- Day he became starter … Aug. 21
C.J. Stroud ended up becoming Fields’ successor, not to mention Ohio State’s third straight Heisman Trophy finalist and first-round pick at the position. But, first, he had to earn the starting quarterback job. He battled Kyle McCord and Jack Miller III ahead of the 2021 season. The highly-touted Quinn Ewers reclassified and joined the room as well, however, he was never really in consideration for the gig that offseason.
KYLE McCORD (2023)
- Competing with … Devin Brown
- Day he became starter … Aug. 29 (for Week 1), then Sept. 12 (full-time)
McCord backed up Stroud for two years and ended up getting his chance in the spotlight last season, but only after a longstanding competition with Devin Brown. Both quarterbacks took turns in the lead of the position battle, except McCord’s experience in the system — plus having one career start under his belt — gave him the edge. He got the nod for Week 1; played the majority of the first two games, despite the competition technically remaining open; and then was named the full-time starter on Sept. 12 ahead of a Week 3 matchup against Western Kentucky.
Top 30 prospect Jackson Lloyd eyeing quick return to Ohio State after debut visit
Offensive linemen Jackson Lloyd, Henry Fenuku and Andrew Stargel made their debut visits to Ohio State this past weekend.
Lloyd, a four-star Carmel (Calif.) offensive tackle, was on campus for only 24 hours. But the short amount of time he was around the program made quite an impact on him.
The 6-foot-6, 280-pound offensive tackle is the No. 29 overall prospect and the No. 6 offensive tackle in the 2025 class, according to On3.
To get the story on his visit, head on over here.
RELATED
Jake Diebler’s pre-existing recruiting relationships already paying dividends
Not long after incoming Ohio State Athletic Director Ross Bjork named Jake Diebler full-time head men’s basketball coach back in March, Bjork discussed Diebler’s pre-existing recruiting relationships that could help the 37-year-old return the Buckeyes to success the program is accustomed to.
What Bjork was talking about has become crystal clear this offseason, as those pre-existing recruiting relationships have already paid dividends for Diebler in his first few months at the helm.
Diebler is using his unorthodox ascent from associate head coach to interim head coach to full-time head coach to his advantage in the roster building sphere, short term and long term.
Find out how that’s unfolding here.
Counting Down
Buckeyes vs. Akron: 110 days
Buckeyes vs. Michigan: 201 days
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