Ryan Day 'Fired Up' About 2024 QB Competition

Devin Brown may be starting the Cotton Bowl for the Ohio State Buckeyes, but it 2024, it is anybody's ball.

Kyle McCord is gone. 

After one season as the starter, McCord took the route of the NCAA Transfer Portal, electing to go east to join the Syracuse Orange in the ACC. 

As a result, the Ohio State Buckeyes will have a new starter for their top-10 matchup in the Cotton Bowl vs. the Missouri Tigers. 

His name? Devin Brown, who battled McCord for the starting job ahead of this season.

“The plan is to play Devin,” Day said. “If the situation comes up to get Lincoln in the game, we would do that, but this is going to be Devin’s game to play.”

With that said, just because Brown is starting the Cotton Bowl, does not mean he is guaranteed the starting job in 2024. 

In fact, according to Day, it looks to be a wide-open competition between Brown, Lincoln Keinholz, and incoming freshman Air Noland.

“I think that competition is very, very healthy,” Day said. “I think Lincoln's really been coming on, excited to see Air get going here this spring. I'm Fired up to see the way Devin's been practicing the last few weeks. But also, Lincoln and Air, these guys are talented young men who want to get on the field.”

Brown, it seems, would have the edge. At least at the beginning, due in large part to his experience on the field and in the system. 

With that said, Kienholz and Noland are both tremendously talented prospects. Noland Who is a composite four-star QB, and rated as a five-star by Rivals.com, is one of the most talented passes to head to Columbus in quite some time. 

OFFICIAL: 5-Star QB Air Noland Signs With Ohio State

Per 247Sports, Noland ranks Ahead of players like C.J. Stroud, Tate Martell, Dwayne Haskins, J.T. Barrett, Joe Burrow, Troy Smith and Cardale Jones, as well as Brown and Keinholz.

Of course, rating doesn't mean everything. If it did, Kyle McCord - who rates as the third-best QB commit in program history - might have worked out a little differently. 

Instead, The winner of the competition will be the one who has the best grasp of the offense heading into next year's season opener against Southern Miss. 

“You don't know till they get in and just start to, how quickly can they learn the offense and get used to it and learn from their mistakes,” Day said Wednesday. “You can't replace experience. But some guys just, you just see it early on, they can handle the information, they can handle what it takes. And most guys, it takes a little time to get that figured out. A lot of guys want to come in and play right away, because it sounds good, and they're anxious. But that always isn't the best in terms of their development. But each guy is unique. And we get a better idea once we get going with spring practice.”

We will find out one way or another by the time spring practice kicks off. 

Until then, it's Devin Brown's ball vs. Missouri.