Ryan Day: Ohio State players believe in both quarterbacks

The Ohio State Buckeyes and head coach Ryan Day are still undecided on who their starting quarterback will be for their season opener against Indiana on Sept 2. At Ohio State’s fall camp, the decision has been narrowed down to two candidates: Kyle McCord and Devin Brown. 

With the coaching staff torn on naming their starting quarterback, there is a possibility that the locker room is just as divided. However, according to Day, that couldn’t be any further from the truth. The Ohio State head coach recently revealed that both possible starters have the support of everyone on the Buckeyes roster. 

“I’ve been looking close, but they both have different personalities. Kyle has built relationships in the locker room outside of the Woody here for three years,” said Day. “And he’s got a good group. I mean, the guys really rally around Kyle. They believe in him; they trust in him, (and) they know who he is.  

“Devin has really, in the last six months, stepped up in that area. He’s got a lot of juice; he takes command on the field. You can feel that when he’s out there.”

McCord has been on the Ohio State campus longer of the two. And while spending his time in the program as the backup to the No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, CJ Stroud, he has spent time developing quality relationships. But that doesn’t mean Brown hasn’t been doing the same. Day believes he has, just in a way. 

“So both are a little bit different styles. But I have been watching close to see how the team rallies around each of them. I don’t quite feel it’s one way or the other. They’re out there practicing. I think, as we get closer to the game and we start playing games, you feel that a little bit more. But, right now, like I said, I think that if you ask our players, they believe in both of those guys.” 

With its season opener less than two weeks away, Ohio State finds itself in a vulnerable position. While they have an immense amount of talent throughout their offense, it is all for not if they don’t get the quarterback decision right. While this may be a hectic and challenging decision for the Day and his coaching staff, knowing that the rest of the Ohio State roster will support either McCord or Brown 100 percent, likely has the Buckeyes headman breathing a sigh of relief; at least in that category.