Where Ohio State QB battle stands after spring: Will Howard vs. Devin Brown

The Ohio State Buckeyes brought in Will Howard as a transfer quarterback with a record of experience and success this offseason. However, he wasn’t given the job and is currently in a quarterback competition with Devin Brown.

While making an appearance on Andy Staples On3, Spencer Holbrook of Lettermen Row shared his thoughts on where the quarterback battle stands after Spring, making sure to praise Devin Brown.

“I thought Devin was good,” Holbrook said. “I thought he was pretty good in the spring. He was very intentional is the word I was looking for. Intentional in the way he did things. He commanded the offense well. He got Chip Kelly‘s system pretty well. He’s still mobile with his feet even though he had that ankle injury in October of last year and it sidelined him for a while. He had that injury in the bowl game but he’s still pretty mobile. He throws a decent ball. He’s got good touch on the football when he needs to. I think he does a good job of just commanding the offense.”

Devin Brown came to Ohio State in the 2022 recruiting cycle as a five-star recruit, according to the On3 Industry Ranking. He has only seen limited playing time since then but has played well this Spring. Despite how well Devin Brown has played, Will Howard has also played well. He also is going to fit what Ohio State wants in an 11-on-11 quarterback, especially in new offensive coordinator Chip Kelly’s system.

“With that being said, if they’re both equal in practice, and Will Howard and Devin Brown feel like they are pretty equal right now. I think the X-factor in this is that Will Howard is always going to look a little better in full 11-on-11 than he does in practice settings with the black jersey on. Because, the things he does with his feet, the bulldozing mentality, the physicality that he runs the football with, he’s exactly what Chip Kelly wants. If they can both throw the football the same way,” Holbrook said.

“But you get in those 11-on-11 full contact that Ohio State won’t get into until August 31st when they play Akron, I think Will Howard can make that difference stand out because of the way he runs the ball, the physicality, the durability that he showed at Kansas State. I think that’s what’s gonna end up winning out, but I do think that there’s nothing Devin Brown has done that leads me to believe that he’s out of this race. I just think, ultimately, it still ends up being Will Howard.”

Ryan Day updates where Devin Brown stands in quarterback battle

Amid the quarterback battle this Spring, Ohio State head coach Ryan Day shared where he thinks Devin Brown stands.

“He’s now into year three and a lot of the things that we’re doing is still what we’ve done in the past. So, he probably feels the most comfortable out there with the offense, and you see that,” Day said.

“The big thing with him is just being as consistent as he possibly can. Keep the offense moving because he certainly has the ability and definitely flashes.”