Ohio State Football has dealt with its struggles with the transfer portal, losing many players to transfers including starting quarterback Kyle McCord.
Life After Kyle McCord
McCord faced some heavy criticism from Buckeyes fans following the team’s third straight loss in ‘The Game’ to the Michigan Wolverines. McCord threw two picks in that game, one coming on Ohio State’s final drive with a chance to win the game.
Kyle McCord took to social media to tell Buckeyes fans goodbye, thanking the school and its fans for the opportunity. https://x.com/kylemccord16/status/1731690165616181423?s=20
The Ohio State Buckeyes have been linked to a few transfer portal quarterbacks, including Washington State transfer Cameron Ward. https://gridironheroics.com/ohio-state-football-linked-to-big-name-quarterback-amid-transfer-portal-chaos/
The team will likely look to the transfer portal for experience at quarterback but have excellent choices in their lap with young backups Devin Brown and Lincoln Keinholz. Brown and Kienholz were both highly-touted four-star recruits coming out of high school and each offers a different skillset for coach Ryan Day to observe,
Ohio State Quarterback Battle
Devin Brown is an accurate pocket passer with rushing upside. In his senior year at Corner Canyon High School, Brown threw for 4,881 yards and 57 touchdowns while adding 430 yards on the ground with eight more touchdowns.
Brown appeared in five games for the Buckeyes this season and completed 55% of his passes for 197 yards and two touchdowns. He added another touchdown on the ground and saw time in some key games due to his upside as a ball carrier. Brown saw a lot of goal-line rushing opportunities for the Buckeyes in the regular season.
Brown was a serious contender for the starting job before ultimately being beaten out by more experienced Kyle McCord. Devin Brown took McCord to just before Ohio State’s first game and didn’t make it an easy decision for head coach Ryan Day.
Lincoln Kienholz is a more mobile quarterback, doing the majority of his work outside of the pocket. In his senior season at T.F. Riggs High School, Kienholz threw for 3,422 yards and 46 touchdowns. He displayed his electric rushing ability to the tune of 1,436 yards and 24 touchdowns on the ground.
Kienholz appeared in two games for Ohio State this season, completing four of his five attempts for 25 yards.
Both quarterbacks will likely see significant time in the Cotton Bowl, where the Buckeyes will take on the 9th-ranked Missouri Tigers. This will be a good test for each quarterback and will give coaches and fans a glimpse of the team’s potential 2024 quarterback battle.