Ohio State head coach Ryan Day talked Wednesday about the battle for the starting quarterback job in 2024 which at this point looks like it will include Devin Brown, who will get his first career start in the Cotton Bowl, Lincoln Kienholz, and five-star recruit Air Noland.
Though Brown and Kienholz have a bit of a head start with some sort of experience at the college level, Day isn’t ruling out that Noland could compete for the position when it comes time to name a starter next year.
“You don’t know until they get in,” Day said. “How quickly can they learn the offense and get used to it and learn from their mistakes. You can’t replace experience, but some guys you see it early on. They can handle the information; they can handle what it takes. Most guys, it takes a little time to get that figured out.”
Noland led his high school team, Langston Hughes, to a Georgia state championship in 2022 in a season which he threw for 4,095 yards and 55 touchdowns, completing 236 of 323 passes for a 73.1 completion percentage. Through four high school seasons, he threw for over 10,000 yards and had 126 touchdowns, also adding on 334 rushing yards.
“Air Noland is somebody who is special in a lot of different ways,” Day said. “The way that he conducts himself, the way that he handles himself. He’s very athletic and he’s going to be the leader of this team.”
The Buckeyes only went after Noland when Dylan Raiola decommitted in February, but it seems like Day isn’t upset that they had to go after another 2024 quarterback since then. He believes strongly in the leadership and approach Noland brings to Ohio State, and is ready for January to roll around when Noland will be coming to Columbus since he is enrolling early.
“We watched his film and saw the athleticism, and he’s just a baller out there, making a lot of plays, a state champ,” Day said. “He was high school teammates with (Ohio State tight end) Jelani Thurman, so we were down there some. I got to see who he was and saw all the people in the area and the school and the coaches talk about what a great player he was, what a great leader he is.
“It doesn’t take long when you talk to him, you recognize how mature he is in his approach and that’s a big part of it. We feel like he’s got a really high ceiling when he gets here and we’re looking forward to get to work with him soon.”
