Ohio State Football enjoyed a successful 11-1 campaign in what was a great regular season for the team. Despite the success, the Buckeyes fell yet again to arch-rival Michigan and were left out of the College Football Playoff. To add to the bittersweetness of the season’s end, the Buckeyes have seen a number of key players enter the transfer portal, including starting quarterback Kyle McCord.
Kyle McCord posted a nice season in his first year as starting quarterback for the Ohio State Buckeyes, In his junior season campaign, McCord completed 66% of his passes for 3,170 yards and 24 touchdowns.
Ohio State fans placed a lot of pressure on the young quarterback following the Buckeyes’ loss to the Michigan Wolverines in ‘The Game’, where McCord threw two interceptions including a game-sealing interception on Ohio State’s final drive with a chance to win the game.
Mccord took to social media to announce his transfer: https://x.com/kylemccord16/status/1731690165616181423?s=20
Since the transfer portal opened, Ohio State has been linked to a number of quarterbacks. Which quarterbacks would be the best fit for the Buckeyes?
Ohio State Football Linked to Several Big-Name Transfer Portal Quarterbacks
Cameron Ward, Washington State
The 2023 season was a successful one for Washington State quarterback, Cameron Ward. Ward is a 6’2, 223-pound quarterback with tons of experience under his belt.
Ward started as a true freshman for Incarnate Word and boasted eye-popping numbers in his sophomore campaign and final season with the team before transferring to Washington State. Ward threw for 4,648 yards and 47 touchdowns on a season that Buckeyes fans will pay heavy attention to as the rumors continue to swirl.
Ohio State has been linked to Ward since he put his name in the transfer portal. The Buckeyes were expected to be players in the transfer portal, given their shaky play at quarterback for the better part of the 2023 season.
Kyle McCord had some good moments as a Buckeye but it’s hard to argue with the experience and arm talent that Cameron Ward brings to the table.
This season, Ward was fifth in the country in passing yards with 3,735 to go along with 33 total touchdowns to just seven interceptions. Cameron Ward is an intriguing prospect with tremendous upside. The Buckeyes could win big if they can land Ward from the transfer portal.
Buckeyes Sticking With Their Guns
Ohio State does have great talent in their QB room already with Devin Brown and Lincoln Kienholz. Brown is a redshirt freshman. and a former four-star recruit out of Utah. Kienholz is a freshman and former four-star recruit out of South Dakota.
Devin Brown was in contention for the starting job for most of camp and took McCord down to the wire before being beaten out by the junior.
Brown offers nice accuracy with rushing upside, while Kienholz is a more athletic quarterback, with a great out-of-pocket skillset.
The Buckeyes will surely look to get some experience at the quarterback position via the transfer portal but it’s not the end of the world if Brown or Kienholz is given the keys to the Ohio State offense. With some development under coach Ryan Day, Brown and Kienholz will have Buckeyes fans excited about their play on Saturday next season.
One of the two quarterbacks will start for Ohio State versus 9th-ranked Missouri and it will be exciting to get a glimpse of the new-look Buckeyes offense.
