Ohio State Football: Which QB has the highest upside?

The Ohio State football team is going to have one of the most-watched position battles in the entire country. Whoever plays quarterback for the Buckeyes is always one of the most famous college football players. There will be a new QB behind center next year.

It’s likely going to be between Kyle McCord and Devin Brown for the starting spot. Both are former five-star recruits and have a lot of talent. McCord has started one game for the Buckeyes before, while Brown has yet to make a start in his young collegiate career.

While we don’t know which one will ultimately win the job, that’s not what we are trying to decide today. What I’m wondering is which of these two guys has the most upside. When both are playing their absolute best, which one is better?

Anyone that has read me long enough knows how much I love McCord. I think he has a strong arm, can move well, is accurate, and has great mental toughness. I wrongly thought he deserved to beat out C.J. Stroud back in 2021. That’s how much I liked his high school tape.

Brown does all of those things well too though. He also is very accurate, has a strong arm, and can scramble for yards if he needs to. He might be able to move a little bit better than McCord. The one decider between the two is decision-making, and we don’t know enough about that yet.

McCord’s decision-making was the one concern about him coming out of high school. We saw that in the one start he made against Akron in 2021. Brown hasn’t gotten that chance to start yet so we don’t know what he will do when he’s under pressure.

So who has the higher upside? I actually think Brown might have a slightly higher ceiling. Even so, I think McCord will win the battle for the starting job. That’s how good I think he still is.