Replacing a two-time Heisman Trophy finalist who threw for nearly 3,700 yards with 41 touchdowns last season is going to be a tough chore for whichever Ohio State quarterback wins the job.
But Kyle McCord and Devin Brown will be given equal chance to impress Ryan Day during spring practice as the head coach has said both have a blank slate upon entering the competition to replace C.J. Stroud.
Though Stroud's record against Michigan clouds his legacy for many, there's no doubt he was one of Ohio State's and the Big Ten's most elite passers.
His 182.4 career passer rating is the gold standard at both Ohio State and in the Big Ten, his 324.9 passing yards per game serve as the school's top mark and he ranks second in program history in passing touchdowns and completion percentage.
But just as much as Day would love for McCord or Brown to threaten those exploits, he's likely just as focused on finding a guy that can emulate some of the same things Stroud didn't do. Most specifically, Stroud didn't turn the ball over much and valuing the football is Job One stuff for any signal-caller.
Nearly every year since Day's arrival as a quarterbacks coach ahead of the 2017 season, Ohio State's offense has realized a decrease in turnovers.
| SEASON | TOTAL TURNOVERS | NATIONAL RANK | STARTING QB INTERCEPTIONS | STARTING QB LOST FUMBLES |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 10 | 5 | 6 | 0 |
| 2021 | 11 | 9 | 6 | 2 |
| 2020 (8G) | 9 | 29 | 6 | 1 |
| 2019 | 16 | 41 | 3 | 5 |
| 2018 | 17 | 35 | 8 | 2 |
| 2017 | 19 | 62 | 9 | 1 |
The Buckeyes had 19 turnovers during Day's first season on staff, good for just 62nd-best nationally, but since then the turnovers have largely trended downward.
Limiting turnovers typically starts with the quarterback and Day's tutelage of J.T. Barrett, Dwayne Haskins, Justin Fields and Stroud shows not only how effective he is in instilling a responsibility to protect the football but also to do it while directing a high-powered offensive attack.
Over the last two seasons with Stroud guiding the offense, Ohio State ranked in the top-10 nationally with just 10 and 11 turnovers respectively. Stroud tossed only six interceptions in each of those seasons, and didn't lose a fumble last year.
Fields tossed six interceptions in eight games during the 2020 season but considering the protracted timeline to get ready due to the pandemic, a slip there is understandable, particularly after he was incredible in 2019 tossing a mere three interceptions (albeit with five lost fumbles).
In 2018, Haskins led one of Ohio State's more unbalanced offensive attacks yet still threw only eight interceptions as defenses knew the Buckeyes were going to air it out.
Finally, Barrett's last season coincided with Day's first and J.T. threw nine picks.
Roll up those results and Ohio State's starting quarterbacks over the last six seasons lost nine games with Day as an assistant or head coach. In those nine defeats, the starting quarterbacks tossed 11 total interceptions with picks in six different games.
Stroud registered two picks in the loss to Michigan last year and one in Oregon's upset of the Buckeyes in the Shoe the prior season. Fields had a pair of interceptions in the heartbreaking 2019 loss to Clemson and Barrett threw four in a shocking blowout loss to Iowa back in 2017, to cite a few.
Basically, scoring a ton of points absolutely matters but not throwing the ball to the other team is also of critical importance.
And that's the balance Day seeks as he develops McCord and Brown in search of a starter he can trust to not only distribute the ball to a plethora of weapons but also avoid distributing the ball to the opponent.
McCord only got to throw the ball 20 times last year, completing 16 for 190 yards and a touchdown. He did not throw an interception in spot duty. As a true freshman in 2021, McCord attempted 38 passes, even starting a game against Akron in place of a nicked up Stroud.
In that one career start against the Zips, McCord completed 13-of-18 passes for 319 yards with two touchdowns against one not great interception. He would toss one more pick during that freshman campaign and finished the season with a 70.7% completion rate on 58 attempts.
Of course we've yet to see Brown throw a ball in a college game but he's clearly shown some chops in practice, including a deep shot that made the rounds on Twitter as Ohio State prepared for its CFP matchup with Georgia, and those who know him best rave about his "it" factor.
All in all, despite the lack of game experience for both guys, particularly with Brown, there's little doubt Day has two talented guys who can get the ball to a bevy of talented receiving targets. But leadership ability, understanding of the playbook and certainly a knack for protecting the ball will factor heavily as Day has said he hopes to select his starting quarterback by end of spring camp, if at all possible.
