Greg McElroy not worried about Ohio State's quarterback situation, replacing CJ Stroud

ESPN’s college football expert Greg McElroy recently dropped his preseason top 25 list. And the Ohio State Buckeyes cracked his top-5 and were not No. 5. On his show, Always College Football, McElroy explains why the Buckeyes are College Football Playoff-bound at the end of the season and why their concerns at quarterback are a non-factor.

“At No. 4, I have the Ohio State Buckeyes. Now the big question about Ohio State, and I told Ryan this… I’m not worried about the quarterback position. I’m not,” said McElroy. “I know a lot of people are sitting here and talking about how are they going to replace CJ Stroud? Like, I’m curious. I’m curious who it’s gonna be. Do I think it’s gonna be Kyle McCord? Yeah. Is there a possibility that Devin Brown works his way into the mix? Sure. That’s absolutely a possibility.

“But I’ve come to the realization, and I hope that you guys do too, that with some schools, I’m just not gonna worry about the quarterback spot. I mean, when was the last time the quarterback spot at Ohio State was a legitimate liability? Because I don’t remember a time. I can’t remember a time in which the quarterback spot at Ohio State was a real problem. And I don’t think it’s going to be a problem this year, either.”

For McElroy, the concerns around the Buckeyes’ lack of experience at quarterback are nowhere near enough for him to be concerned about this season’s trajectory. Both individuals competing for the starting position, Brown and McCord, are former five-star recruits. So, both have the talent to be elite in the pocket for Ohio State. But even if they didn’t have the talent to measure up to Buckeye quarterbacks f the past, they have head coach Ryan Day to help them be elite on the field.

“The system is set up, and Ryan Day, I think, does a phenomenal job,” McElroy stated. “I just love how easy it makes it on his quarterback. You still gotta deliver the ball, (and) you still gotta be accurate, you gotta make good decisions, you gotta do the right thing, you gotta move in the pocket every once in a while… because the protection has been really good the last couple years.”

McElroy spent a good amount of time drilling down on the quarterback position for Ohio State, which, for most, is the focal point of their concerns for the team next season. But what is not a concern is the talent they have surrounding whoever their quarterback is, starting with arguably the top non-quarterback NFL prospect heading into the season Marvin Harrison Jr.

“But I digress; you can’t quarterback by yourself. I think that most people could go out, throw the ball left-handed to Marvin Harrison, and you’re probably completing 60 percent of your passes. That’s how good that guy is. But it doesn’t stop there. Hey, let’s just double him. Let’s not let him beat us; let’s double him. Well perfect. You want to double him? Emeka, boom, let’s work. Julian Fleming, boom, let’s work. Hey, Cade Stover, boom, let’s work. I mean, it’s like the rich are so rich in this particular world. It doesn’t matter who you take away. You wanna double all the receivers? You drop eight? Fine. TreVeyon, let’s eat. It’s like one guy after another.”