Day Boastful Of “Deep” Quarterback Room Ahead Of Fall Camp

With just two days remaining until the start of fall camp, a whirlwind of attention still remains on the ongoing quarterback battle between Kyle McCord and Devin Brown. 

While head coach Ryan Day has yet to name a starter at Big Ten Media Days on Wednesday, saying “we’ll kind of have to see once we get on the field,” he is pleased with the unique mix of talent and intangibles shown by not only the two Buckeyes vying for a starting job, but the entire quarterback room. 

“This is one of the first times that we’ve been here (where) we have depth in that room,” Day said during Big Ten Media Days. “And so we’re going to need that whole room. We know the stories of when you need everybody in that room.” 

When asked about the status of the starting quarterback position at Lucas Oil Stadium on Wednesday, Day made a concerted effort to praise the two signal callers who will likely sit behind McCord and Brown on the quarterback depth chart in freshman Lincoln Keinholz and seventh-year graduate Tristan Gebbia. 

Starting with the first-year quarterback, Day lauded Keinholz’s ability to make a seamless transition to college football, specifically noting the maturity and poise he has displayed since arriving on campus this summer. Keinholz, who was the nation’s 13th-best quarterback in 2022 and recently earned the 2022-23 USA Today Boys High School Athlete of the Year, flipped his commitment from Washington to Ohio State one week before early signing day on Dec. 14. 

“Lincoln has stepped in, and (I’ve) been very surprised with just his approach,” Day said. “(I’ve) been really impressed with how it doesn’t seem too big for Lincoln. He’s very athletic. He’s learning. He’s got a long way to go. He came in in the summer, but (I’m) excited to have him here.” 

Gebbia, Ohio State’s other new signal caller who transferred to Ohio State on Jan. 17 after playing five seasons at Oregon State and one season at Nebraska, has also made his presence felt in a crowded quarterback room. According to Day, the seventh-year Gebbia has already stepped up as a leader and mentor, using his high level of collegiate experience to help guide an otherwise young group of quarterbacks. 

“Tristan has done a great job (of) being a coach,” Day said. “He’s taken those guys under his wing, (he) understands the offense now at a high level. He’s going to help provide depth for us, and that’s important because this is the most depth we’ve had…in a long time at the quarterback position, which will allow us to do some things maybe we haven’t done in the past.”

With the young Keinholz and the established Gebbia joining forces with McCord and Brown on the field for fall camp starting on Thursday, the quartet of quarterbacks presents a unique opportunity for Day and his staff that has not been scarcely available to him since he started as head coach in 2018. According to Day, this can help him and offensive coordinator Brian Hartline open up the playbook and become more creative as they experience an embarrassment of riches at the quarterback position. 

“When Justin (Fields) was there and C.J. (Stroud) was there and we didn’t have a lot of depth, we had to be very, very careful about running the quarterback,” Day said. “Maybe this year we have an opportunity to do some more things like that because we have more depth in that room. And you think about the times when there has been depth at the quarterback position, we’ve been more inclined to do things like that. So we’ll take all those things into consideration, but we need that room to play (at) a championship level.”