Ohio State football: Buckeyes dangerously thin at QB

When I look at the Ohio State football team’s roster, one number jumps out at me: 3. That’s the number of quarterbacks listed. 3. Having so few quarterbacks leaves the Buckeyes dangerously thin at that position. Depth is definitely a concern.

Before you begin thinking about the nasty message you’re going to send to let me know I don’t know what I’m talking about, because our favorite college football team is doing just fine at quarterback, notice what I said. I said DEPTH is a concern, not talent.

There is plenty of talent. We all know what C.J. Stroud can do. Sophomore Kyle McCord is a former five-star recruit and Stroud’s heir apparent. He went 13-18 for over 300 yards and a couple of touchdowns against Akron last year when he made his first career start in place of an ailing Stroud. True freshman Devin Brown showed flashes in the Spring Game of the talent that made him the number six quarterback in the 2022 recruiting class. Talent is definitely not an issue.

The depth at this position has been whittled down greatly by transfers. Quinn Ewers transferred to Texas and Jack Miller left for the Florida Gators. What really hurt the depth here was walk-ons Jagger LaRoe and J.P. Andrade left via the transfer portal as well.

Walk-ons are vitally important because of their work on the scout team. Do you really want your four-star true freshman, who was the second-highest rated member of your latest recruiting class, running the scout team offense? No? Well, me neither.

So, what to do? One option is to try to bring in another J.P. Andrade-type. An uncommitted three-star who has a few offers, but is willing to walk on with the Ohio State football program because they want to be part of an elite program. There are still plenty of guys like that out there, including Andrade’s brother, Daniel. The other option is to find someone in the transfer portal who is late in their career and willing to accept a depth role as a walk-on. Let’s look at a few guys who may fit that description.

Before I go any further, let me make this clear: all of this is pure speculation on my part. I’m not a college football insider and don’t pretend to be one. This is all my own conjecture. So, who might be a good fit? Former Maryland quarterback Tyrrell Pigrome is in the portal once again.

If that name is familiar it is because he has started against the Buckeyes in the past. In addition to Maryland, he has been at Western Kentucky and Mississippi and is now looking for his fourth program in what will be his seventh year of college football. I’m guessing he wants to be a starter and coming to the Ohio State football team is a long shot.

Micah Leon is a junior-to-be who left UConn in February and still has not found a landing spot. In two seasons he threw just thirteen passes. He’s just the type I’m talking about. In his time at UNLV, redshirt junior Justin Rogers threw just 82 passes. Kaylan Wiggins, another redshirt junior, threw even fewer passes (64) in his time with Florida International.

Would Jordan Brookshire, a backup for San Diego State who started the Mountain West championship game, consider spending the rest of his career in a depth role? He’s a redshirt senior who entered the portal in January and is still available.

All of this is pure speculation on my part, but I do think the lack of depth at quarterback is something that needs to be addressed before the season begins. I’m simply not comfortable with only three quarterbacks. Is there an option on the roster if either Stroud, McCord, or Brown gets injured? Defensive back Cam Martinez was a high school quarterback who could provide depth if necessary. Let’s hope he isn’t needed and Ryan Day can add someone in the coming weeks.