The Ohio State quarterback competition appears to have narrowed down to a starter.
Head coach Ryan Day said Tuesday that junior Kyle McCord will be the starting quarterback against Indiana Week 1. Day also said redshirt freshman Devin Brown “is going to play in the game” and that McCord’s consistency helped him earn the starting nod.
“I think that’s significant that we have two guys that we feel confident playing in the game,” Day said. “This is something that’s a little uncharted territory for me. But you just go on what you see every day in practice. And I think that Kyle’s consistency the last couple of weeks has allowed him to be the starter, he deserves that. But I also think Devin deserves to play in the game as well.”
McCord was considered to be a leader for the starting quarterback position left by C.J. Stroud due to his prior experience in Ohio State’s program. McCord has two seasons under his belt, including a start as a true freshman against Akron in 2021.
Across 12 games played, McCord had 606 passing yards at a 71% completion rate. He appeared in five games as a true freshman and in seven as a sophomore last year, and McCord is considered to be a pro-style quarterback.
Whether “how much” playing time will be given to McCord or Brown is yet to be determined, according to Day.
Brown, on the other hand, has a skill set that can be considered a dual-threat given what he’s shown he’s capable of on the field. He appeared in two games during his debut season.
Day said Brown “made a real strong push” about 10 days before he announced McCord as the starter. The Ohio State head coach also said both McCord and Brown will have to have a strong grasp Ohio State’s game plan when playing the Hoosiers which kicks off at 3:30 p.m. Saturday.
“I shared with them both that the great thing is they both get an opportunity to be the quarterback at Ohio State with an unbelievable team surrounding them,” Day said. “That’s the exciting part of it, and that’s what they want. When they decided to come to Ohio State, they knew that it wasn’t going to be easy, and they’re fighting tooth and nail to get on the field.”
