Although there was an extensive competition during spring camp, Ohio State was unable to name a successor to two-year starting quarterback C.J. Stroud.
Junior Kyle McCord and redshirt freshman Devin Brown competed for a majority of spring camp until an injury to Brown’s throwing hand held him out of the final few practices of camp and the annual spring game. With an inconclusive finish to spring camp, Day, Hartline and quarterbacks coach Corey Dennis opted to allow the contest to bleed into the fall.
“I still think we’re in the process where — I know everyone wants to talk about the quarterback competition — but we’re still in the process of worrying about yourself and getting better,” Dennis said on May 30. “When you worry about yourself and you maximize who you can become, the other stuff takes care of itself.”
While the competition was impacted by injury during the spring, Dennis said Brown is back to full strength and getting back into the swing of things.
Although Dennis refused to disclose if there was any separation between the two gunslingers, he recognized that this competition is unique to what he’s seen before during his four years at Ohio State.
“I think, just like what makes every team different, every team has certain things and every guy has certain traits, every guy has certain weaknesses,” Dennis said. “It’s a good battle with a bunch of good quarterbacks and they’re competing every day.”
Dennis gave elevator pitches for both quarterbacks, pointing to McCord’s arm talent and handle of the offense next to Brown’s athleticism and arm strength.
“Kyle is an accurate kid with a big, strong arm that understands the offense,” Dennis said. “With our offense, we do a lot of things, especially at the quarterback position so getting the reps has been important for him.
“Devin, he’s an athletic kid. Same thing, big arm and a lot of talent,” he continued. “At the end of the day, with both of those guys, they wouldn’t be at Ohio State competing for the starting job if they didn’t have elite traits and characteristics.”
