Ohio State has its starting quarterback. But the primary backup signal-caller spot remains up for grabs.
Ryan Day anointed Will Howard the team’s Week 1 starter on Thursday, praising the Kansas State transfer for grading out significantly ahead of OSU’s other four scholarship quarterbacks in their practice evaluations.
The Buckeyes have rotated quarterbacks in team drills since spring, letting Devin Brown, Howard, Julian Sayin, Lincoln Kienholz and Air Noland all get their share of reps in team competition. However, Howard, Brown and Sayin took most of the reps with the starters early in camp.
If the season started today, Day said Brown would be the Buckeyes’ No. 2 quarterback on the depth chart. Brown was a major factor in last year’s quarterback competition as well, with Day revealing he actually thought Brown would start Week 1 at this point into fall camp last year before Kyle McCord ultimately pulled away late. Brown still appeared in six games in 2023, completing 16 of 28 passes for 217 yards with two touchdowns and one interception while tacking on 23 yards and a rushing touchdown on the ground.
“Devin has shown the ability to do just about everything we asked him to do,” Day said. “It’s the consistency part and taking care of the football part that he’s just got to make sure that he does a great job of moving forward. If he can do that, he can play and be a contributor for it. I reminded (all of the QBs) again, we all know the story of Cardale Jones, J.T. Barrett and Braxton Miller. I also shared with them that (former TCU quarterback) Max Duggan was a backup the first couple weeks of the year he was a Heisman finalist. A big part of being a quarterback is resilience and continuing to work.”
But Day hasn’t permanently set a backup yet. He said he wants the competition to continue and hopes to get another look at each of the other four signal-callers during a team scrimmage on Saturday. Considering Ohio State’s first three opponents this season are Akron, Western Michigan and Marshall, it seems plausible the Buckeyes will play multiple quarterbacks across all three games.
“These guys are all going to continue to work. Julian, Lincoln, Air, (Devin), they’re all going to compete,” Day said. “We’re going to try and get as many reps as we can. We are currently still rolling three groups, so there’s a lot of reps to go around … We all know we’re going to need them along the way. We’re going to look to get them in the game early in the season when we can.”
Sayin has turned heads as a freshman since the spring and is likely Brown’s main competition for the Buckeyes’ backup signal caller. Day said he’s impressed with Sayin’s progression so far and he “for sure” remains an option to be OSU’s backup quarterback.
“He has a tremendous ability to locate the football,” Day said. “The ball comes out quick. His mind moves quick. You guys have all seen the talent. The thing for Julian is getting more and more reps. We say when you get out there that you’re either remembering what you’re doing or learning what you’re doing.
“For him, a lot of times he’s still learning out there. He’s trying to figure it out and it’s a little bit different than where he came from in terms of a jump from high school to college. The faster he learns, the faster he’s going to get on the field. He’s going to play a lot of football at Ohio State. When he gets on the field is going to be up to him.”
Day and offensive coordinator Chip Kelly broke the Howard news to all five quarterbacks together Thursday morning. While every quarterback with a last name other than Howard was a little disappointed not to be named the starter, Kelly said the camaraderie in the group was evident.
“This was not one guy’s here and the rest of them just didn’t show up. They all competed every day, and I think the room, really, is a great room to be in,” Kelly said Thursday. “They all truly care about each other. They enjoy each other’s success. We talk about the word Muditā, which means you vicariously derive joy from people’s success. They’re like that. When another quarterback makes a play, those guys are all fired up.
“I know every one of them wants to be the starting quarterback, but I know they’re not disappointed that it’s Will because they really care about him.”
