Objectively, things are going pretty well for the Ohio State Buckeyes. Through four weeks, the Buckeyes are 3-0 and have outscored opponents 157-20. Defensively, it looks like Ohio State is still great. Offensively, it doesn’t look like there is much to complain about. So, naturally, there have been complaints about the Ohio State backup quarterback situation.
To date, four quarterbacks have taken snaps. However, when it comes to mop-up duty, Ryan Day and company should look to the future.
Devin Brown vs. Julian Sayin as the Ohio State Backup Quarterback
Will Howard is the unquestioned starter, as he should be. Through the first three games, he has played 149 snaps and leads the way with 795 yards and six touchdowns. Overall, he’s been efficient and has done exactly what he needed to. There are very few concerns with his game right now.
The issue lies in who takes over when/if the game gets out of hand. In each of the wins over Akron, Western Michigan, and Marshall, Devin Brown was the first man off the bench.
In those three appearances, Brown has taken 41 snaps and is the obvious QB2 behind Howard. Those 41 snaps were all in mop-up duty, so he was not asked to do too much. In that time, he has accounted for 77 yards through the air. On the ground, he has four rushes for a net total of zero yards. Against Western Michigan, he was a perfect five-for-five with 57 yards. On Saturday, however, he was off the mark a number of times and only completed two passes on six attempts.
The Case for Devin Brown
Heading into 2024, it was reasonable to think the quarterback competition — if there was a true competition — was between Howard and Brown. Howard was a veteran with legitimate starting experience and has had success. Brown knew the system the best of the other four and even had playing time in 2023.
The issue with Brown was that his final appearance left a bad taste in the mouths of fans. However, that wasn’t exactly his fault. In that Cotton Bowl loss, you’d be hard-pressed to find an offensive player who played well, healthy or not. Brown lasted just 17 snaps before leaving the game due to an ankle injury.
Brown is in year three of the Day offense and has been the Ohio State backup quarterback since the beginning of the 2023 season.
If something happened to Howard, Brown would likely slot into the starting role for that reason. He is a dual-threat quarterback, like Howard, but Ohio State would likely lean on Brown’s legs more than his arm. His accuracy to this point has not been great (57.1% in his career). But, at this point, he’s the go-to next-man-up.
Should he be?
The Case for Julian Sayin
There has only been one game this year where more than Howard and Brown took snaps. In that game (the win over Western Michigan), Lincoln Kienholz was the third quarterback and true freshman Julian Sayin was fourth. Kienholz played five snaps whereas Sayin played four.
Attempting to make a case for either off just that appearance would be short-sighted. Kienholz handed the ball off every play and Sayin only attempted two passes. Given, both passes were completed and one was a 55-yard touchdown.
Whether or not Sayin is truly better than either Brown or Kienholz is not something we can gather from such a limited sample size. However, that’s not the point here.
Howard is a one-year rental. He is meant to get the Buckeyes to the next era at quarterback. If there is a belief that Sayin is the next guy to lead the Buckeyes, he should be getting those mop-up duty snaps.
Ohio State should look at Texas as inspiration. Quinn Ewers is currently hurt, so the Longhorns threw out Arch Manning, the presumptive next man up at Texas. Thus far, he’s shown that he can be the guy. Manning has had mistakes but he’s also made massive plays and was able to take the reigns against a lesser opponent.
In mop-up duty, assuming Ohio State sits starters in a couple of Big Ten games over the rest of the season, Sayin should be the guy.
Plan for the Future
The 2025 Ohio State season kicks off with Texas coming to town on August 30. There is going to be a quarterback competition leading up to that massive game between Brown, Kienholz, Sayin, Air Noland, and incoming freshman Tavien St. Clair. That is, of course, assuming all five stay in Columbus. In today’s game, it’s increasingly likely that at least one will hit the transfer portal.
Last year, Brown and Kienholz were rumored to hit the portal but both reaffirmed their commitments to the program. Will that remain after another season on the bench?
The point is do Day and Chip Kelly want to suit up against what looks to be one of the top teams in the nation with a quarterback with little-to-no experience?
Again, if Howard goes down, Brown is the guy. He’s the one with the best chance to minimize mistakes. Although, with the running back duo at Ohio State, whoever hands the ball off the best could get the job.
However, if Sayin is as good as advertised, preserving his redshirt is not going to do anything. He’s off to the NFL after three years whether it’s as a true junior or redshirt sophomore. Ohio State should do everything it can to minimize the growing pains next year.
C.J. Stroud was a true freshman in 2020. He only got on the field for eight snaps that year. For as talented as he ended up being, he struggled at the beginning of the 2021 season. Could he have used a few more live snaps to get a bit more acclimated to the college game?
