The second Quick Hits of Ohio State's 2024 season has arrived.
After an article that covered comments from Emeka Egbuka, Jack Sawyer and Denzel Burke at Big Ten Media Days, Eleven Warriors' fast-paced bullet-point recaps of Ohio State's coach and player availabilities makes its preseason camp debut with offensive coordinator Chip Kelly and the Buckeyes' quarterbacks, who met with the media after OSU’s fifth practice of camp on Tuesday.
Among the topics discussed on the Woody Hayes Athletic Center indoor practice field, Kelly said Ohio State will "start to hone in" on a quarterback pecking order soon, Will Howard discussed how he would lead Ohio State's offense this fall, Devin Brown and Lincoln Kienholz talked about their growth this offseason and freshmen Julian Sayin and Air Noland described how they've settled in after seven months on campus.
Chip Kelly
“I think we’re both trying to win. So I think when you’re trying to win, I don’t think you look at it like who’s the mentor or who’s the boss. It’s how do we put our players in a position to make plays, and that’s the bottom line.”– chip Kelly on the dynamic between him and Ryan Day
- Kelly said there isn’t a pecking order at quarterback yet but that Ohio State will likely “start to hone in on that” by the end of this week. He claimed that people should not read into Howard getting most of the first-team reps at Sunday’s practice, as the Buckeyes are still rotating quarterbacks between units.
- Kelly said he thinks Howard knows the offense better now than he did in the spring and is throwing the ball more confidently as a result. “I think Will has done a really good job really working on the playbook in the offseason, studying film so that he understands when there’s a play call made that he knows where to go with the football.”
- Kelly said Sayin “stays in the moment,” which Kelly likes. “If he throws a bad ball, it doesn’t bother him. If he throws a good ball, he doesn’t get overexcited and say, ’Hey, I just arrived.’”
- All five of Ohio State’s scholarship quarterbacks have been timed running faster than 20 miles per hour, Kelly said. Howard has been clocked running faster than 22 miles per hour.
- Kelly said Day showed the Buckeyes the video of Noah Lyles coming from behind to win the Olympic 100-meter dash on Sunday. “Coach Day showed that in a meeting, talked about where he was and how he finished. There was a great lesson there.”
Will Howard
“I don't feel like I have to be a hero here. And I feel like I have the guys around me to where I just need to facilitate and just get them the ball and make good decisions.”– Will Howard on being an ohio state quarterback
- Howard has worked to cut his weight down to between 230 and 235 pounds this offseason, learning to cook more for himself. “I can feel it just in day-to-day, even just moving in the pocket. And then obviously straight-ahead running, I definitely feel it too.”
- Howard felt he was “drinking from a fire hose” when he first arrived in the spring but started to settle into the offense around practice seven or eight in March.
- On where he feels he’s done best and where he needs to improve in fall camp: “I think I've done a pretty good job protecting the football and being smart with my decisions. I think that I want to continue to push the ball down the field when I have opportunities to and be accurate down the field and get some more air on my deep balls.”
- While Howard says there will be designed runs in Ohio State’s offense, what matters more is making plays with his feet in critical situations. “At the end of the game when it's third-and-5 and everyone's covered down the field, am I going to be able to tuck the ball down and go get 6 yards and run someone over?”
Devin Brown
“When I get the look, I’m not afraid to throw it up.”– Devin Brown on his confidence throwing deep balls
- On the quarterback competition: “It's really no different than last year in terms of just how it all works and how it's all playing out. But really, no stress, I'm just going out there and playing football.”
- On what he does best among the Buckeyes’ quarterbacks: “I think I bring confidence and a drive to the team that guys want to go out there and make a play and go win.”
- Brown said “consistency” is where he’s improved the most thus far this offseason, and he got some private coaching in that area. “I think that's been a huge help for me, being more consistent with my mechanics and everything. And so throwing the ball, I feel I'm more consistent.”
- On the increased involvement for quarterbacks running the ball: “The run game has been completely different. It's been incredible. When you've got two running backs like Quinshon and TreVeyon, and then you've got us quarterbacks that can run the ball, it makes it really hard on the defense. And so Coach Kelly really utilizes us and utilizes our running backs, so there's always an option for either of us to go.”
Lincoln Kienholz
“I feel way different. I feel way more comfortable than I did with protections and the concepts we ran. I feel more calm in the pocket and overall more confident.”– Lincoln Kienholz on how he's grown since the 2023 cotton bowl
- Kienholz said he feels “really good” entering his second preseason with the Buckeyes. “Honestly, I feel really good. Obviously, there’s been a lot of new information. But I have to keep my head in the books and keep grinding, and when I get my shots to go out there and play, I just have to capitalize on that.”
- Kienholz said Ohio State’s quarterbacks are “friends over competitors” amid the Buckeyes’ quarterback competition. “Yeah, we do. I’d say it’s still something we don’t really think about right now. We’re just getting in, trying to grind and get a spot. But I think, at the end of the day, we’re gonna have to see who’s gonna be the starter and who’s gonna be the backup. But right now, we are friends over competitors with each other.”
- Kienholz still sees himself as a contender in Ohio State’s quarterback competition.“It will come do to who’s more prepared and who’s more ready to go. But yeah, I’d say this offense fits me pretty well. Obviously, I hope to do a good job and succeed in it.”
Julian Sayin
“In high school, I had a coach who gave me a lot of responsibility and made things hard on me. I just want to be the best quarterback I can be and take the meeting to the field and do things the right way.”– Julian Sayin on his mindset entering year one
- Sayin said he and Air Noland didn’t really have much of a relationship prior to his decision to transfer to Ohio State aside from competing at the Elite 11 and he knew of him as a recruit. But since he’s been on campus, Sayin said everyone in the quarterback room is “really close” and they all push each other to be better.
- Sayin said he only visited Columbus once throughout his entire recruiting process and it was early on, right after his freshman year. But since he’s lived in the city, he’s enjoyed his time in the city and the restaurants in town. “There’s a lot of good stuff out here.”
- Sayin says he likes to model his game after Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert because they’re both good decision-makers and have a quiet confidence.
Air Noland
“It is challenging, but I know when I get in, just do the best I can, and just be myself.” – Air Noland on splitting reps with Ohio State’s four scholarship quarterbacks
- Noland said the biggest adjustment for him at Ohio State has been getting used to the speed of the college game.
- He acknowledged that he did feel homesick earlier this year, but said he was always “all in” with the team and that Ohio State “definitely feels like home” now.
- On Julian Sayin: “We make each other better in so many ways, and that’s my guy.”
- On Jeremiah Smith: “He’s making the best of his opportunity at each and every play and each and every time.”
- On Jelani Thurman, who he’s been teammates with since they played together at Langston Hughes High School in Georgia: “He’s going to get open, so you’ve got to put the ball in the right spot.”
