The Ohio State football team entered this year’s third consecutive battle for the quarterback spot. It was primarily between Will Howard and Devin Brown, although Julian Sayin and Air Noland were battling for the backup spot. This is the second year in a row that Brown has been battling for the top spot.
On Thursday, Ryan Day announced that Howard had won the starting spot. He came over from Kansas State in the offseason and was expected to get the job. Still, he had to go out and earn the job, and that’s what he did. Howard was just more consistent and was able to win over the locker room.
Howard has been the leader in the locker room from the moment he stepped on campus. This is the second time Brown has lost a battle for the starting quarterback job. Day had something interesting to say about this when he talked about making Howard the starter.
When speaking to the media about his decision, Day had something very interesting to say about the quarterback competition starting in 2022.
Interesting admission from Ryan Day: “This time last year, I thought Devin was going to be the starter.”
Day said Kyle McCord finished 2023 preseason training strong, conquered the locker room and earned the starting job ahead of Brown.
— Chase Brown (@chaseebrown__) 15 August 2024
Day thought Brown would get the job last season. It’s clear that the Buckeyes responded more to McCord than Brown, and that was one of the deciding factors. Perhaps there was a good reason the battle continued into the regular season.
That he has now been left out of the starting lineup for two years in a row is perhaps a poor reflection of Brown’s talent. Next year will not be any easier, with Tavien St. Clair joining and Sayin and Noland in their second year in the program.
There are no controversies this year. This is Howard’s team and it will stay that way all season.
