"You have to be able to do stuff on your feet. You have to be able to create a little bit in and out of the pocket. You have to at least be a threat in the run game."What factors will decide Ohio State's QB competition, and what it means for the offense. https://t.co/Xd1K7DN5Gy— Nathan Baird (@nwbaird) March 22, 2023
Ohio State quarterbacks Kyle McCord and Devin Brown make throws on the run. pic.twitter.com/H2oOnxsAYA— Lantern Sports (@LanternSports) March 28, 2023
Ohio State quarterbacks Kyle McCord and Devin Brown work on their footwork in QB drills. pic.twitter.com/uuz6YYEeI2— Lantern Sports (@LanternSports) March 28, 2023
Ryan Day spending some time coaching up Devin Brown during practice: pic.twitter.com/i7jpYabTBU— Griffin Strom (@GriffinStrom3) March 28, 2023
Ohio State football team crosses halfway point of spring with no leader in QB battle https://t.co/HrWRUpSW0G— BuckeyeXtra.com (@BuckeyeXtra) April 1, 2023
Ryan Day on OSU's QB battle following the eighth spring practice: “I'd like to see one of the two really step out. I don't think we've seen that yet. But it would be nice to see one of them kind of separate from the other. But that takes a few practices in a row.”
KYLE MCCORD AND DEVIN BROWN Much like last week, neither McCord nor Brown necessarily made a resounding statement during Saturday’s scrimmage. There was plenty of good and bad for both Buckeye quarterbacks, but they both seemed to deliver a more consistent level of play than the first scrimmage, when the offense struggled mightily to move the ball early on. McCord edged out Brown with his late play in scrimmage No. 1, but on Saturday, things were a bit more even. Brown tossed three touchdowns in the Buckeyes’ red-zone pass drill, including back-to-back impressive passes to thread the needle to Kyion Grayes and Jelani Thurman in tight windows. McCord threw two scores during the period, finding Joe Royer and Gee Scott Jr. for touchdowns. McCord threw the aforementioned interception and also fumbled one snap on a fake handoff out of the shotgun, but also completed several nice passes to the likes of Tate and Harrison. McCord found Noah Rogers for a 20-yard touchdown in the corner of the end zone late in the scrimmage. Brown found Harrison for a deep connection down the sideline with the first-team offense on one of his better plays of the day, and also showed off his mobility to hit Tate while scrambling to his left to move the sticks late in practice. But Brown also suffered from some shaky snaps from second-team center Victor Cutler and was sacked on a number of occasions. Day said he’ll have to watch the tape to come to a final conclusion on Saturday’s quarterback play, but thought McCord and Brown might have been holding the ball too long and doesn’t think either has truly separated himself from the other just yet. “I'd like to see one of the two really step out. I don't think we've seen that yet," Day said. "But it would be nice to see one of them kind of separate from the other. But that takes a few practices in a row.”
Day says it was "hard to tell" how the quarterback play was on Saturday. Day says "it wasn't ideal any time the offense doesn't win," and thought the QBs might have been holding the ball a little too long.
Day says elite quarterbacks at both the college and NFL level learn from their mistakes quickly and don't make them again, and that's something he hopes to see from his unit this season. "I'd like to see one of the two really step out. I don't think we've seen that yet. It would be nice to kind of see one of them separate from the other, but that takes a few practices in a row."
Ohio State quarterbacks learning from spring failures, growing each day at practicehttps://t.co/Gi1n5S9xLJ— Lettermen Row (@LettermenRow) April 4, 2023
On coaching the quarterbacks harder on Friday than he has previously this spring, Day says "we had some fun today. I liked the way the quarterbacks competed. ... I was getting after them today but they both embraced it. I thought it was fun, we had a blast."
On QB play, Day says "today was a step in the right direction. I liked the way they competed today, took the classroom to the field. And again, if they're gonna let us coach them hard like that, then they're gonna get better faster."
Day says there are times in evaluating Kyle McCord and Devin Brown when he sees them doing things that his previous QBs weren't doing at this stage of development, but that other times he thinks they're "a little behind."
Buckeyes quarterbacks take ‘step in the right direction’ at competitive Friday practicehttps://t.co/NYpHRhhIsw— Lettermen Row (@LettermenRow) April 7, 2023
DAY SEES PROGRESS FROM QUARTERBACKS Friday marked the second straight practice open to the media in which McCord threw the only interception of the day with that interception coming in 7-on-7 drills. As has been the case in all three extended portions of practice that have been open to the media this spring, neither quarterback was a clear standout in Friday’s practice. There weren’t many long completions for either quarterback on Friday, as many of their passes came on short throws or checkdowns. Another strong showing for the defensive line and the secondary had something to do with that, though, and Ryan Day came away from Friday’s practice feeling McCord and Brown had shown progress. Day was often animated as he coached the quarterbacks on Friday, and he appreciated the way they responded to tough coaching. “I liked the way the quarterbacks competed. I thought it was a good day,” Day said. “I was getting after them today, but they both embraced it, and I thought that was fun. We had a blast. Every rep wasn't great. But when they allow you to coach them hard, then you can get a lot better, and I thought they did that today. “We’re not there yet,” Day added when asked if either quarterback had separated himself as a starter. “But today was a step in the right direction. I like the way they competed today. Took the classroom to the field. And again, if they're gonna allow us to coach them hard like that, then they're gonna get better faster.”
Kyle McCord vs Devin Brown is one of the most interesting QB battles, but does it matter who becomes the Buckeyes' QB1? 🤔"Who becomes QB1 probably matters less for Ohio State’s championship hopes than the Buckeyes addressing their recent defensive flaws." @JesseReSimonton… pic.twitter.com/sJU69rFmjf— On3 (@On3sports) April 7, 2023