Who will be Ohio State's starting QB for 2024??
I have to admit that my first time ever listening to several of the OSU podcasters was last year after we beat them in Columbus, and man was it a good listen! Since that time I have listened to several of their outlets with some regularity. At present they are convinced that McCord was in large part the problem this year. Most of them are thinking that they are going to be better next year with addition by subtraction with McCord leaving.
They almost all say they only want a 1-year stop-gap type of guy so as not to scare away Air Noland (2024) and Tavien St. Clair (2025). At the outset the 3 names they consistently brought up were Riley Leonard, Cam Ward, and Michael Pratt as fits they would like. Fast forward a bit and now the transfer QB pieces are starting to fall into place nationally (Riley Leonard to ND, Dillon Gabriel to Oregon, Michael Pratt to Senior Bowl) which includes 2 of their "primary" targets. According to most of the recruiting outlets USC, Florida State, and Miami are still looking for help at the QB and have been mentioned as possible landing spots for Ward. Being the OSU QB is obviously attractive, but it doesn't look to be the destination it was even a year removed from CJ Stroud and company.
With all that being said who do you see as the starter for OSU in 2024, and will that person be an upgrade over what McCord was in '23 and would have been in '24?
December 12th, 2023 at 3:01 PM ^
Not sure I agree. McCord was a big part of their problem in The Game this year. You can't throw two critical INTs and expect to win The Game, especially when Michigan's QB isn't making those kinds of mistakes. And winning The Game is everything for them, just as it is for us. They leaned on their defense to overcome McCord's shortcomings in their other 11 games, but they couldn't do that against us.
December 12th, 2023 at 4:14 PM ^
The 1st INT was bad-ish since he didn't recognize the weird coverage Minter threw at him but the 2nd wasn't on McCord since he was hit while throwing. McCord wasn't CJ Stroud, but I thought he played well. It seems like OSU feels they basically need a 1st round NFL draft QB every year to succeed which is wild. I'd bet McCord is a top 20% P5 QB. If Day can't win with that and a roster littered with top 100 guys then that's on Ryan and not the QB. Maybe he should figure out how to run the ball.
December 12th, 2023 at 5:14 PM ^
Agree about his INTs.
That said, there were a number of times where I just shook my head at some of his throws. He was inconsistent - some of his throws were picture perfect and others were just terrible.
December 12th, 2023 at 5:15 PM ^
Are you kidding me? It's 100% on McCord. Literally anything would have been preferable to risking an INT in that situation. If you have to choose between taking a sack and chucking up a half-blind wobbler as a DT is about to drill you into the turf, you take the sack.
McCord's numbers on the whole are pretty good, but that obscures a crucial stat: his PFF rating under pressure is among the worst in the country. Dude gets flustered and makes mistakes when facing a decent pass rush. Minter knew this and dialed up pressure on that last play, and it worked. It wasn't just bad luck on McCord's part.
December 12th, 2023 at 5:33 PM ^
What are you talking about. You cant take a sack with :25 left and no timeouts. Theyd be left with a hurried throw at midfield with like :12 left by the time everyone got back to the line. He had to throw it
December 12th, 2023 at 4:56 PM ^
The first INT was a bad mistake, but on the second, there wasn't much he could do. He couldn't take a sack due to the game situation and was hit as he threw.
In any event, I doubt any QB they'll bring in will be an upgrade over what he would have been in his second year.
December 12th, 2023 at 5:23 PM ^
Disagree. See my comment above. A sack would have been awful, but not necessarily fatal. It was first down and they had around 30 seconds left, so even if he had to take a sack, he could have clocked it on second down and had at least a couple of more plays. If it were fourth down then yeah, at that point you have nothing to lose so you just throw it up even if you have the entire front seven bearing down on you. But first down? No, McCord threw that ball because he panicked, which is true to form because he's terrible under pressure. Minter knew that and took advantage of it. Game, set, match.
December 12th, 2023 at 5:15 PM ^
I think the OSU fan base would have been quite satisfied with 11-1 as long as the loss wasn't to Michigan.
December 12th, 2023 at 1:24 PM ^
DeQuan Finn, and no that's not an upgrade over McCord.
December 12th, 2023 at 1:30 PM ^
Justin Feagin
December 12th, 2023 at 1:31 PM ^
Either they are very stupid and ran off the best QB on their roster with no backup plan, or they've tampered with someone better not yet in the portal that they assume they are getting.
December 12th, 2023 at 1:38 PM ^
Given their long history of cutting-edge cheating, I'd go with B (tampering).
December 12th, 2023 at 2:04 PM ^
Everything I've seen points to #1. And I think it's less that they deliberately tried to dump McCord and more that they weren't willing to promise the starting job to him any longer. They wanted an open competition of him, Brown, Kienholz, Noland, and whoever they could pull from the portal. McCord obviously wasn't interested in that.
December 12th, 2023 at 3:07 PM ^
Instinctively I would say the latter. However, given that McCord is one of a double-digit number of OSU players currently in the portal, and given that OSU's name isn't really being mentioned in connection with other prominent players in the portal, perhaps they're simply unraveling (one would hope, anyway).
December 12th, 2023 at 1:32 PM ^
kirk "herbie" somethingoranother ......
December 12th, 2023 at 1:33 PM ^
I think they missed the boat with the QB’s they wanted as experts say Ward is down to 4 schools and OSU isn’t one of them. Seems like they are stuck with who they have, and that’s good for us.
December 12th, 2023 at 3:12 PM ^
Do you remember after The Game in 2019 when it seemed like we would never catch up to them, let alone surpass them?
What an incredible turn of events.
December 12th, 2023 at 1:36 PM ^
Did Michael Pratt actually commit to going pro, or just accepted a Senior Bowl invite and he can still turn it down?
I note this because if JJ were to leave for the NFL, Pratt would be my ideal pick to bridge the program to the next generation. He's not quite the same athlete or talent as JJ, but he's stylistically similar and he's maybe a little more polished in his downfield touch and accuracy.
December 12th, 2023 at 2:05 PM ^
I think he is returning to Tulane now.
December 12th, 2023 at 3:33 PM ^
I seriously doubt that will prove to be true, especially with Willie Fritz leaving the program for Houston.
It feels certain that Pratt is either going pro or he's going to enter the portal.
December 12th, 2023 at 3:39 PM ^
Pratt was a little banged up this year and wasn't as explosive of a runner, but it's not hard to see the JJ elements of his game, especially in his 2022 film.
December 12th, 2023 at 1:37 PM ^
I hear that JT Barrett is going to quit his job with the Lions, and opt-in for his COVID year and try to play his 8th and final season next year with the bucknuts! Seriously it was on X.
December 12th, 2023 at 2:14 PM ^
Does Stroud have any remaining eligibility? That might be a better option than JT (who, by the way - was short).
December 12th, 2023 at 2:25 PM ^
Still, short!!!
December 12th, 2023 at 1:51 PM ^
With all due respect, who the flip cares? On to Bama
December 12th, 2023 at 2:03 PM ^
Honestly, most of us this board care who the 2024 OSU QB will be. This isn't Indiana we're talking about.
December 12th, 2023 at 2:03 PM ^
Who will likely be the starter? Devin Brown.
Who do the fans want? Lincoln Kienholtz ... or anyone but Devin Brown (or McCord)
December 12th, 2023 at 2:04 PM ^
of whats out there in the portal, there is no QB that is an upgrade over 1st year McCord w/ Marv so I'm not sure it really matters.
December 12th, 2023 at 2:07 PM ^
A friend of mine who works with OSU football team said that McCord wanted both a promise to start and more NIL money. He says that desire with Day is to not bring in a QB transfer and roll with the QBs they currently have.
It's fun hearing Buckeye fans talk about the changes they need to make to catch up to Michigan!
December 12th, 2023 at 3:15 PM ^
What an incredible turn of events. I'm still in awe of how dramatic a turnaround Harbaugh has managed to pull off.
December 12th, 2023 at 4:17 PM ^
Could be a plausible scenario if he's not feeling the love from OSU and he's getting unsolicited transfer offers from other schools.
December 12th, 2023 at 2:10 PM ^
If Day is still their coach and is going to continue to swing from who cares about running the ball or stopping the run to we’re so tough we’re going to beat Michigan at their game, I don’t think it really matters.
December 12th, 2023 at 2:12 PM ^
I noted this in another thread - is the issue their offense, or their defense?
Their defense has only forced one Michigan punt in the combined second halves of the last three games. They need to stop Michigan's offense in the second half of The Game.
That being said - the question is about their OB. The Buckeyes need a stronger OL - and, they may want to add a more mobile QB to their stable / roster - however, Stroud was a fantastic QB - their receiving corps is very good. They need a stronger run game when it matters.
Ohio State's run / pass ratio has been pretty close to "50/50" over the past three years - it's varied from 47/53 to 53/46 - which I think is pretty balanced.
In '24 Ohio State has eight home games - and, their four (4) away games are MSU, Oregon, Penn State, and Northwestern. So, they won't be in hostile territory that often - but, Eugene and State College could be a bit difficult.
It's probably fair to say their offense can be complex. And, can a first year starter already on their roster - to lead that offense efficiently.
Both Keinholz and Brown should play a fair amount in their bowl game. That might give some insight to who'll be in the lead going into Spring.
December 12th, 2023 at 2:48 PM ^
This is quite the long comment. Maybe you should give it its own thread.
December 12th, 2023 at 3:33 PM ^
Both? They haven't surpassed the Brian Ferentz line in the last two years and just barely in 2021.
If you can't score 30, you ain't winning The Game. I mean you CAN, but it's only happened 4 times in the last 20 years, so not great betting odds.
The biggest things has been the trench warfare on both sides of the ball. At the end of the day in the last three years, Michigan has been able to pick up yards and scores when it needed to, and OSU hasn't.
December 12th, 2023 at 5:35 PM ^
Username checks out for the last 3 Michigan/OSU second halves.
December 12th, 2023 at 2:19 PM ^
I’m guessing Brown because it looks like McCord caught them by surprise. If they had someone lined up, he most likely would be on board by now.
December 12th, 2023 at 2:20 PM ^
I’m guessing Brown because it looks like McCord caught them by surprise. If they had someone lined up, he most likely would be on board by now.
December 12th, 2023 at 2:22 PM ^
Cam Ward isn't as great as people think. I'm not even convinced he would be an upgrade over McCord.
December 12th, 2023 at 2:25 PM ^
They'll get an okay transfer from the portal but it looks like he'll be walking into a more limited offense than what McCord had this year (he won't have Harrison Jr. and Egbuka, which are two high-level guys you're unlikely to replace with young players in a year) plus Trayanum is gone and Henderson likely as well.
OSU's offense already took a step back this year and I can't see any QB currently out there covering up for those deficiencies any more than McCord did.
December 12th, 2023 at 2:58 PM ^
For what it's worth, OSU fans think Egbuka and Henderson are returning.
December 12th, 2023 at 2:29 PM ^
Whoever it is, he is going to be running for his life as our D line chases him down like a dog
December 12th, 2023 at 2:34 PM ^
Conventional wisdom says Cam Ward will probably be the guy, but there's still this lingering thought in the back of my mind that wonders if somehow, someway, Arch Manning decides to transfer and make his way to Columbus because "Of course he would." and "Of course OSU would just happen to have this kind of talent fall into their lap, because when does that NOT happen?"
If Ewers stays, and there's a not-insignificant chance of that happening, that's another year of Manning riding the bench. He may decide he's done waiting. Ryan Day would pull out every stop and then some to convince him to come to Columbus, and Manning would be handed the keys to the kingdom the minute he signed on the dotted line.
Either way, I'm looking forward to another offseason of watching them squirm, another season of OSU infighting and fracturing, wondering what their true underlying problems are, and wondering what could've been. Lamenting how they let an opportunity to "Stick a fork into Harbaugh and his band of cheaters" slip right through their fingers.
I'm looking forward to hearing about a majority of the greatest recruiting class OSU ever assembled heading off to the NFL without a single pair of gold pants to its name.
I'm looking forward to an offseason of Ryan Day knowing that if he loses one more time next year, he's gone. He won't even make it back to the locker room.
December 12th, 2023 at 2:42 PM ^
What besides an $ 800K OV is associated with Arch Manning and Texas?
Yes - he was very highly regarded as a high school prospect. But, is that a guarantee of success at this level?
And - it's also going around that Manning loves Austin, Texas. So, he'd trade in Austin for ... Columbus?
December 12th, 2023 at 3:21 PM ^
He may love Austin, sure. But he also may decide that he doesn't love Austin enough to sit on the bench for at least one more year when get can go to a program that will give him just as much exposure, will let him start right away, and will give him no shortage of NFL-caliber weapons to throw to. In fact, I'm not sure Manning if Manning is even #2 on the depth chart. He might be third behind Maalik Murphy, so even if Ewers leaves, there's no guarantee Manning won't ride the bench again next year.
And no, being a highly rated prospect isn't a guarantee of success, but it certainly makes success more likely. And up until this year, OSU's QB play has been damn near elite every year since Troy Smith? They've never missed a beat, and even with McCord, he wasn't elite but he was still good enough.
December 12th, 2023 at 3:35 PM ^
Perkis - very good comment. And, I believe Manning is actually third on Texas' depth chart - as you noted.
December 12th, 2023 at 3:22 PM ^
Even if Arch Manning leaves Texas, I don't see him landing in B1G country (unless the B1G raids the ACC or something). It would be weirdly out-of-character for a Manning to play at a northern school. His uncles talk like they've never even set foot north of the Mason-Dixon Line.
December 12th, 2023 at 2:39 PM ^
As someone who regularly reads the blogs of our opponents, I have to say that the OSU blogs are outstanding. Second only to Michigan, just like in football.
But when it comes to QBs these people are delusional. I guess that comes with the expectations they have been able to develop lately. It reminds us Clemson fans, who were certain that DJ was going to be an elite QB because "he's a 5*." Well, they've gotten more experience now that Trevor and DeShaun have moved on. May OSU get some of this same experience.
And the answer is Cam Ward, who will be no better than McCord was and probably not as good.
December 12th, 2023 at 2:40 PM ^
Well, it won't be Noah Kim. He's going to Coastal Carolina.
December 12th, 2023 at 2:46 PM ^
Maybe that defensive end that plays QB for Iowa.