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Ryan Day lists crucial traits he’s looking for in Ohio State’s QB competition
By Paul Harvey
Published:
Ryan Day has a knack for producing first-round draft picks at quarterback during his time at Ohio State. Now, after a two-year run by CJ Stroud at the position, Day is searching for his next superstar QB with the Buckeyes.
He recently made an appearance on the Always College Football Podcast with Greg McElroy to discuss the ongoing QB battle in Columbus. While many expect the eventual decision to come down to Kyle McCord and Devin Brown, Day noted Ohio State has 4 QBs available and working for reps in the room.
“The good news is we have 4 guys in our QB room. We have not had that, so the depth there has been great,” said Day. “Devin is now full strength. We have Lincoln (Kienholz) who just came in this summer. We have Tristan (Gebbia) who joined us in January and then obviously Kyle has been here now for a few years.”
As for what he’s looking for in his next QB, Day spent most of the time talking about smart play as opposed to extraordinary play. It all begins with the routine plays and taking care of the football:
“The first thing that’s going to be important I think this year especially is to make the routine plays routinely. Take care of the football because we have so many weapons that we don’t need extraordinary play. We need consistent play, we need smart play. Gotta take care of the football, play well on 3rd down, execute really well in the red zone and lead the team. I know that sounds cliche, but that’s real. And you know this, about 5 plays a game where you have to make great decisions and be smart. And that might be throwing it away, that might be checking it down, and that might be trying to fit it into a window.”
Ohio State’s QB outlook
Kyle McCord has the most in-game experience for Ohio State with 1 career start and 2 years as the primary backup for the program. However, Devin Brown brings a more dual-threat skill set. Kienholz is talented but a true freshman while Gebbia is a veteran in his final collegiate season after transferring from Oregon State.
Anything can happen, including injuries, but McCord is likely the favorite at this point in the process. The former 5-star prospect has completed 70.7% of his passes in limited action with 3 touchdowns and 2 interceptions.
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.