Photo by Ohio State Athletics
We sit less than a month away from the first Buckeye game of the year and as all of us fans get ready for the season the players we will watch this Fall also gear up for action. Fall camp is officially under way in Columbus and the first week of practice has given Buckeye Nation plenty to be excited about even if it hasn't answered all of our questions that we had going into camps this year.
First off is the quarterback battle between Devin Brown and Kyle McCord. Many have assumed the job is McCord's to lose as he was the backup to C.J. Stroud last year, has in-game experience after starting a game against Akron last year, and has a high school connection with the top wide receiver in Marvin Harrison Jr. However, after the first week of practice the two quarterbacks have done little to pull away from one another.
Kyle McCord has shown that the extra year sitting behind Stroud has really improved his mechanics. He is very smooth and can throw with excellent touch. He seems more comfortable and has been able to run the team with a strong command of the offense. After the first week of practice many analyst and fans believe that McCord still has a slight edge in the competition for starting quarterback.
This is not to say that Devin Brown isn't close behind. After our looks at him during the first week of camp it's easy to see why Ohio State was so excited to get their hands on him in recruiting. He has an amazing arm and throws with great accuracy, but he's young and inexperienced and that did lead to a late interception which had him running a lap near the end of practice. Brown did have surgery on his hand this past spring, but so far there hasn't been any obvious side effects to what he can do with the football.
Multiple guys outside of the quarterback battle showed off incredible talents this week as well. Brandon Inniss and Noah Rogers made some incredible catches and every wide receiver looked like season vets on the field this week. Sonny Styles may have earned a starting role on the defense. The defensive line of Sawyer, Tuimoloau, and Hamilton is the best line Ohio State has had since 2019. Denzel Burke and Jyaire Brown are the starting corners, Davison Igbinosun and Jordan Hancock are competing for the starting Nickel spot.
The entire defensive back room looks much improved after a lackluster few years. The tight end room is the deepest it has ever been and we should expect to see some heavy-set formations this season with multiple TE's on the field this season. The running back room is a solid five guys deep, but TreVeyon Henderson has been taking the majority of first team snaps and Miyan Williams has been second in first team snaps. Freshman quarterback Lincoln Keinholz has been stellar and even though he likely won't see the field this season he has a lot of people excited for when he does get his shot.
The biggest questions that remain as we inch closer to the season are very much the same as they were coming into camp. Who will be starting on the offensive line? Who will be the starting quarterback this season? I don't expect many of these to be answered until after week 3 of the season when Ohio State goes on the road to Notre Dame in week 4. The first three games will be a feeling out process and should allow both coaches and fans plenty of chances to see both of the young quarterbacks throw the rock in game. One thing is certain however, once Ryan Day picks his starter he will not change his mind. When he had to choose between Stroud and McCord two season ago he made his choice and despite some early struggles and fans calling for a change he stuck to his decision and never wavered on it.