Even though he was the No. 4 quarterback in the 2024 recruiting class, Air Noland currently appears likely to be the No. 5 quarterback on Ohio State’s 2024 depth chart.
The true freshman took the fewest reps among Ohio State’s five scholarship quarterbacks during the four practices that were open to the media and paying fans to start preseason camp. While fellow freshman Julian Sayin has thrust himself into the competition to climb the depth chart right away, Noland has been stuck at the back of the quarterback line since spring.
The initial plan wasn’t for Noland, the No. 56 overall prospect in his cycle, to be part of a two-quarterback recruiting class. That only became a reality when Sayin entered the transfer portal in January after briefly enrolling at Alabama, opening up an opportunity to get the class’ top-ranked quarterback that Ohio State couldn’t pass up. Ever since then, Noland’s name has frequently been attached to transfer speculation, especially with Sayin turning heads in his first offseason as a Buckeye.
But Noland, like the rest of Ohio State’s quarterbacks, stayed with the Buckeyes after spring concluded rather than throwing his name in the transfer portal. He understands that climbing the depth chart at Ohio State is a process, and he says he’s keeping his focus on his long-term development rather than worrying about his spot in the pecking order right now.
“It can be challenging, but you have to keep the main thing the main thing and stay focused with the plan, with the process, with everything that's going on,” Noland said Tuesday in his first group interview session as a Buckeye. “It's a process out here. Development is a big thing with us, so I have to learn and take my time and the process, everything will equal out.”
Noland acknowledged Tuesday that he felt homesick early on after enrolling at Ohio State in January, but the Georgia native says Ohio State “definitely feels like home” now. And he says he never thought about leaving the team.
“I was still all in with the Woody and all in with the workouts, all in with my teammates,” Noland said. “So of course I got homesick when I first got here, but it was no distraction for me.”
Looking back on when he first arrived at Ohio State in January, Noland says the biggest thing he’d tell himself now is “just know to come in and be ready to be developed.”
“There’s going to be hard days, and there’s going to be days where it's good days,” Noland said. “So just going through the ups and downs, and just keeping myself composed, and just leaning on guys and leaning on the older guys and helping me out.”
“It can be challenging, but you have to keep the main thing the main thing and stay focused with the plan, with the process, with everything that's going on.”– Air Noland on waiting his turn at Quarterback
From an on-field perspective, Noland says the biggest adjustment he’s had to make in his first year as a Buckeye is getting acclimated to the speed of the game. He feels the game has started to slow down for him now that he’s been on campus for seven months, while he’s also improved his throwing velocity and put on 20 pounds to become more physically ready for the collegiate level.
He says he’s already learned a lot from Chip Kelly since the former UCLA and Oregon head coach became Ohio State’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in February.
“Chip talks about having a plan walking up to the line, so I have to have a plan every time I walk up to the line. Knowing the how, knowing the why and just knowing my read, knowing if it's a corner read,” Noland said. “The game slows down with Coach Chip Kelly. He teaches me a lot of things, not only on the field but also off the field.
“He's very smart. He's an intelligent guy. He loves teaching quarterbacks and being the great coach that he is. Like I said, he always talks about having a plan. That's the biggest thing for me coming in as a freshman. Coach Chip Kelly, he's going to push you to your limits, I feel like, and that's what he does a good job with.”
Noland also says he’s enjoyed having Sayin as a teammate and feels that they both make each other better.
“We teach each other things each and every day,” Noland said. “We make each other better in so many ways, and that's my guy.”
There’s no doubt that Noland would like to be getting more reps in practice than he currently is, but he says he’s focused on making the most of the reps he does get.
“It’s challenging, but I know when I get in, just do the best I can and just be myself,” Noland said.
While Noland and Ohio State’s other four scholarship quarterbacks are all competing with one another for position on the depth chart, Noland says he’s focusing more on his own improvement than trying to prove he’s better than the Buckeyes’ other signal-callers.
“I don't try to compare myself to other guys. I try to just compare myself to myself, compete with myself and be the best version of myself,” Noland said. “I'm not looking to be better than anybody, but I'm always looking to compete with myself.”
Describing his freshman year as a “developmental year” so far, Noland used the phrase “keeping the main thing the main thing” multiple times during his interview session on Tuesday. By that, Noland means keeping his focus on the things he can control rather than the things he can’t.
“Just staying focused with the plan, staying focused with being developed, staying focused with gaining weight, staying focused with pushing and thriving and learning each and every day,” Noland said.
