The Ohio State Buckeyes started spring practice on Tuesday, and all eyes were on the quarterback room. Ohio State will enter the upcoming season with a new opening-day starting quarterback after last year’s starter, Kyle McCord, transferred to Syracuse in December, leaving an open hole at the position.

Ohio State’s New Quarterback Room

Ohio State landed Kansas State transfer quarterback Will Howard in January. Howard appeared in 34 games for the Wildcats over four seasons, throwing for 5,786 yards and 48 touchdowns while tossing 25 interceptions. Howard can also pick up yards with his legs, rushing for 929 yards and 20 touchdowns. 

Will Howard
Dec 3, 2022; Arlington, TX, USA; Kansas State Wildcats quarterback Will Howard (18) throws during the first quarter against the TCU Horned Frogs at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Howard is the only quarterback on the Buckeyes roster who has started more than one game at the college level; Junior quarterback Devin Brown started one game last season, the Cotton Bowl against Missouri, but left with an injury in the first half and wouldn’t return for the rest of the game.
Devin Brown
Devin Brown – 247Sports

Brown was in a quarterback competition all last offseason with Kyle McCord but lost the starting job to him in fall camp. Brown would go on and appear in five regular season games last year, but most of it was in special redzone packages because he was more of a threat with his legs than McCord, but a Week Eight-foot injury against Penn State kept him out of the last five regular-season games. 

Brown was the favorite to be the starting quarterback this upcoming season before the arrival of Howard, but don’t count out Brown just yet. 

Devin Brown Has The Confidence To Lead Ohio State

Of course, Howard has more experience and has proven he can play quarterback at the college level. Still, Brown is ready to compete. He could’ve transferred to most other schools, where he would’ve been the day-one starter, but he decided to stay and take on the upcoming challenge.

Brown stated at his media availability on Monday, “I have all the confidence in the world. “I’ll never doubt myself. I’ll never have any wavers in anything like that. I’m always going to think I’m the best quarterback in the room and the best quarterback in the country, so I’m going to attack it like that.”

The Junior quarterback is ready for any challenge he will face this upcoming offseason in the Ohio State quarterback room, and sometimes, just having the confidence that you are the best at something can prevail over the top.

Devin Brown Has The Same Characteristics As Another Former Buckeye

Brown reminds me of former Ohio State quarterback J. T. Barrett, a leader on and off the field with the same passion and confidence that Brown possesses. Like Brown, Barrett found himself in a quarterback competition in the fall of 2015 after starting most of the 2014 season before getting injured in the last regular season game against Michigan, which reassured him to miss the rest of the season, and his backup Cardale Jones took the team all the way and won the National Championship. 

 

JT Barrett throws a pass against Penn State in 2017.
JT Barrett throws a pass against Penn State in 2017.

Jones and Barrett battled for the starting job in 2015, and Jones would come out on top, but Barrett stayed motivated and had his teammate’s respect. He took control of the starting quarterback role in the middle of that season.

Barrett might’ve not been the most talented quarterback to wear the Scarlet and Gray, but he had the confidence and fire to lead a team, and Brown is the same way.

The quarterback competition is far from over in Columbus, and counting out Brown right now would be a giant mistake.

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