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Devin Brown as Ohio State’s QB1 ‘a realistic possibility’ per Greg McElroy
By Paul Harvey
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Devin Brown continues to duel with Kyle McCord in Ohio State’s quarterback competition, a battle head coach Ryan Day has continually reiterated is extremely close. The Buckeyes do not have a decision yet with Week 1 just over a week away.
The longer the race goes on, the better chance Brown has of landing the starting gig says ESPN’s Greg McElroy. One aspect McElroy particularly pointed to is the QB run game, a factor he believes Ohio State wants in the offense this fall.
“Ohio State continues to draw out their QB competition. The longer this thing goes, the more I’m thinking Devin Brown has a real chance to become the guy,” said McElroy on the “Always College Football” show. “We’ve talked about it, we’ve documented: If you look at this offense over the years, it will operate at its best when the QB is a willing and capable runner. Justin Fields was that, CJ Stroud was not. (He) didn’t have to be because he was so good as a passer.”
As for McCord, he’s a bit more willing to run than Stroud per McElroy but Brown is a bit more dynamic with the ability to impact the run game.
“I don’t believe Kyle McCord is the passer CJ Stroud. I think he’s a little bit better athlete, a little more willing to take off, but I think the QB run game will be an element of what this team wants to be offensively in creating balance and hopefully having a little more trustworthy rushing attack,” McElroy explained. “I’m not picking Devin Brown to be the starter. I’m not willing to go that far just yet, but the longer this thing drags out the more I think Devin Brown becoming the guy is a realistic possibility.”
In his latest update of the QB battle, Day claimed a straw poll of Buckeye assistants was split on who should be the starter this fall. While many have expected McCord to win the starting job, Brown has made things interesting this fall after missing a lot of the spring with an injury.
Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.