Who will be Ohio State's starting QB for 2024??

Submitted by Chi-Blue on December 12th, 2023 at 1:11 PM

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?

 

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The Mayor

December 12th, 2023 at 1:16 PM ^

Honestly, and no disrespect to the op: who cares? Imitation is the most sincerest form of flattery, so I’m told. I would say that Ohio State is going to go with the old “if you can’t beat them join, them” them philosophy this year. I would be surprised if it is not Lincoln or Brown next year. Also, I would say they are probably going to be very selective in who they bring in from the portal. They have seen the success that we have had in our development and I will be shocked if they don’t try to duplicate it. That is the sign that we have flipped the script on them. 

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MIMark

December 12th, 2023 at 1:17 PM ^

Best guess is Cam Ward. I might eat my words a bit here but I don't think he is a serious step up from McCord. He had a serious case of the mid-season slump. QBs need to be on every game. He was not and his team definitely was not. And Ward is basically a placeholder for Noland, until he is ready to take over.

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Ghost of North Hall

December 12th, 2023 at 1:18 PM ^

Am I the only one that kind of hopes its Cam Ward? I really don't think his skill set fits the NFL passing offense Day runs. 

Maybe he adjusts if he has a mobile QB with spotty accuracy but Day hasn't really shown much of that even with Justin Fields at QB.

2nd year McCord would honestly scare me more than Cam Ward

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1VaBlue1

December 12th, 2023 at 2:49 PM ^

I'll agree that 2nd year Honda McCord would have been a pretty good QB.  As it was, he had progressed nicely by the time he finally go to the Michigan game.  The zone reading mess he was against PSU was much improved against Michigan, even if he still had some stuff to learn.  I really think that running him off is going to hurt OSU in the long run.

Any 1-yr rental that acts as a stop-gap, will be stop-gapping for a true freshman.  Good luck with that, asshats...

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what would Bo do

December 12th, 2023 at 1:20 PM ^

I've seen Cam Wards name thrown around quite a bit.  I'm not totally convinced he's an upgrade over McCord.  McCord was 8th in the country in QBR...Cam Ward was 50th.  If you don't believe in advanced metrics, McCords passer rating was 161.6...Cam Ward's was 145.4.  McCord averaged 9.1 yards per attempt, Ward averaged 7.7.  Yes, Cam Ward's legs are more of a threat, but he only ran for 144 yards this year (which includes sacks), so he's not a prolific threat on the ground.  I just don't see him being nearly the upgrade over McCord that certain parts of the OSU fan base seems to think he would be.

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UofM Die Hard …

December 12th, 2023 at 1:56 PM ^

He's not, I promise you that.  I love Cam, Im a Coug fan as well, but if he went to OSU as their #1...that is good for Michigan. 

He hates to run even if the field is wide open in front of him (wants to make the Mahomes shovel  passes), has the most infuriating/stupid turnovers, and will run into sacks and hold onto the ball WAY too long.  

That being said, he will have those NFL type throws and plays, but he is just not consistent with his game.   And, unfortunately, hasn't been that guy to win big games.  Last two Apple Cups could have been Coug victories but in the end, he had the play calls there to pick up the first, or score, couldn't get it done. 

If they are frustrated with McCord for going 11-1...well, they will be way more frustrated with Cam and thats why I dont want him to go there.  Good young man, and that vile fanbase would tear him down. 



 

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willirwin1778

December 12th, 2023 at 3:28 PM ^

Regarding Lincoln K: 

All I know is his HS tape and he may have changed/developed since then.  But I remember at the time he was throwing a lot of high balls with touch and timing, which is fine in HS, but is his arm really strong enough to get the ball where it needs to be in college?  I wasn't convinced.  But again, maybe he has progressed since his Dakota days.

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The Mad Hatter

December 12th, 2023 at 1:24 PM ^

I don't know who would be willing to play there if the standard is "win all your games, and beat Michigan, or we'll run you out of town".  Dude won 11 games (and damn near beat us) and their fans acted like he was some scrub. 

Just on a human level, fuck dealing with that.

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LSAClassOf2000

December 12th, 2023 at 1:57 PM ^

I think this is the basic problem that Ohio State has culturally, this expectation of winning all 12 or else being the primary consideration to the point that it actually is beginning to hurt them more than help them. Obviously, I am not privy to all that goes on in the Woody Hayes Athletic Center, but the collateral damage of such base irrationality is beginning to add up, it seems. 

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True Blue Grit

December 12th, 2023 at 2:09 PM ^

This.  Those shitheads down there are so spoiled and entitled, they can't bear the idea of a QB losing a game (and a very close one at that) or God forbid, needing a year under his belt as a starter before he wins a title.  They recruited McCord for a reason I assume.  Maybe it was so they had someone to blame for Day's lame coaching.  F them.  

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Billy Ray Valentine

December 12th, 2023 at 2:27 PM ^

^ This. Great post. 100%. Spoiled. Entitled. Excuse University.

They would rather circle-jerk on message boards all day about #WorstScandalInCFBHistory than engage in a morsel of introspection. They take talent advantage as their birthright. And Mr. Third Base is their perfect storm of underachievement. A coach incapable of accountability, improvisation, and timely aggressiveness, yet wild successful at distracting his gullible fanbase into shiny object infatuation.

Ryan Day Forever!    

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