While transfer portal season was not kind to Ohio State, Ryan Day made up for it on the recruiting trail. They have a top-five class according to 247 with multiple five-star recruits officially signed to the program. One of those recruits is five-star quarterback Air Noland. Day had some high praise for Noland in a recent interview.
Ohio State Head Coach Ryan Day On QB Air Noland
Day first acknowledges that his name is perfect for a quarterback which I have to agree with. However, Day recognizes that his game goes beyond just having a cool name.
“Air is a special young man, it has nothing to do with his name. He’s got a great maturity about him, he’s a guy who really is a great leader. There’s a guy who you can tell right off the bat he’s got a great maturity about him. Doesn’t take long for you to meet him before you realize how special he is. He’s got great athleticism, he’s smart and he’s going to be a very, very good leader. He can do a lot of things. I think he’s a baller, and I’m excited to get to work with him.”
In this day and age in college football, true freshmen don’t often get to start but Noland could get a chance at the starting job in the spring.
Could Noland Get The Starting Gig?
Kyle McCord is off to Syracuse via the transfer portal. So far, the program has not signed any of the many quarterbacks in the portal. This leaves Noland, Devin Brown, and Lincoln Kienholz as the quarterbacks on the roster. If Noland immediately impresses the coaching staff, they may have no choice but to put him on the field. There is still a lot of time left in the offseason. The Buckeyes could land a big-name quarterback and give Noland a year to develop but with how Day is talking about the prospect, he could see the field sooner.
Can Ohio State get back on top of the Big Ten? Their 2024 recruiting class is one of the best in the country and Day has shown that he can stack wins.