Ryan Day on Ohio State's quarterback situation: 'Competition is very healthy'

Ohio State coach Ryan Day has a lot to think about as it pertains to his plans at quarterback for the future. With this year’s starter Kyle McCord already gone to the transfer portal, the Buckeyes need to figure out who is in line to replace him.

That could require going to the portal themselves or it may be that the right guy is already on the roster. Devin Brown spent this season backing up McCord and will get his chance to start in the Cotton Bowl. That will give him an opportunity to show what he can do running the offense.

Ohio State also has Lincoln Kienholz, a true freshman this past season who ranked as a four-star out of high school. It is bringing in another four-star freshman this offseason in Air Noland.

Day will likely have another QB competition on his hands to start the spring, and he hopes that will bring out the best in each of those players.

“Competition is very healthy,” he said. “I think Lincoln’s really coming on. Excited to see Air get going here this spring. Fired up to see the way Devin’s been practicing the last few weeks. It’s been great for him now that he’s healthy and his ankle’s feeling better. Kind of like, ‘OK. Take this thing to run and see how the next couple of weeks go in terms of the way he handles himself.’ I’m excited that he’s gonna be able to play in this game and then just go from there.”

Brown appeared in five games this season as McCord’s backup. He has completed 12-of-22 passes for 197 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. His best performance came against Purdue in which he both threw and ran for a score to finish with 58 yards passing and 20 yards rushing.

McCord flashed his potential as a playmaker in that game and will hope to do the same against Missouri in the Cotton Bowl. Day noted how close Brown was to beating out McCord in Ohio State’s quarterback battle this offseason, and this is his chance to show why.

“Devin was real close going into the season,” Day said. “So this is gonna be an awesome opportunity for him to take it and run. I think the guys have seen the last couple of practices have been really good. But also Lincoln and Air, these guys are talented young men who wanna get on the field.”

Kienholz saw action in only two games this season and will retain a redshirt as a result. Noland comes in as the No. 5 quarterback in the 2024 cycle according to the On3 Industry Rankings, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

One would think Brown would have the leg up on either, but a lot can change between now and the start of next season. Ohio State first must close out this season at 8 p.m. ET on Friday against Missouri.