Ohio State Football: Pros and Cons of Kyle McCord, and Devin Brown

As we begin to get closer to the start of the college football season, the speculation looms large. Ohio State football fans are anticipating who will be the starting quarterback for the Buckeyes this fall. The two quarterbacks competing for the job are Kyle McCord and Devin Brown.

Whoever does win the job, they will have a tall task to fill. The void of C.J. Stroud will be noticed. However, if that is the case then you could say the job favors McCord. McCord is a rising junior.

Each of these quarterbacks is very talented. There is no questioning that, they were highly recruited and signed with the Buckeyes. Each quarterback brings their own set of skills and weaknesses to the job. So let’s discuss each quarterback, what they do well, and what they don’t do as well.

Kyle McCord, Junior, Mt. Laurel, N.J.

It would seem that McCord is the favorite to win the job. After all, he has been in the system for a couple of years now and should know the playbook very well. He sat behind and was mentored by C.J. Stroud. There was a small crowd on the internet who wanted McCord to take Stroud’s job early on in his career. However that never happened, and Stroud had one of the most successful careers in the Ohio State football program’s long storied history.

McCord came out of high school as a five-star recruit according to 247Sports Composite Rankings. He had Marvin Harrison Jr as a high school teammate.

When he has played in late-game blowout situations you can see McCord possesses great arm accuracy. He is able to put the ball in small windows and has good arm strength. His biggest strength has been accuracy and arm strength.

He also has great size. Listed as 6’3 215 pounds according to the official Ohio State football roster. He will be able to take a hit, and coaches will tell you, you can’t teach size.

One of the few knocks on McCord’s game is his mobility. He does not look like a natural runner of the football. Granted, he is a quarterback and he is supposed to throw the football not run it. But as a quarterback you need to be able to move to avoid a sack, extend a play, or if a play is a broken play, you can make something out of nothing.

Now Ohio State football fans will tell you “Well C.J. Stroud didn’t want to run either” and you would be correct. However, in the Georgia game, he showed you what he could do when needed and balled out against the best defense in the country. I am unsure if McCord would be able to scramble and move in the pocket quite like CJ Stroud did.

However, due to McCord’s experience and ability to have pinpoint accuracy, it makes sense why people believe he will be the starter. Including one of our FanSided contributors

Devin Brown, Redshirt Freshman, Gilbert, Arizona

Brown was another highly-ranked recruit out of high school. He played high school football at one of the best programs in the country in Corner Canyon out of Utah. He played his senior season at Corner Canyon to be able to be developed and play at one of the highest levels of high school football.

For what McCord lacks in athleticism, Brown picks up that and then some. He has the ability to move in the pocket and throw absolute missiles on opposing defenses. He also has very similar arm strength, if not more throwing power than McCord.

However there are two questions about Brown, one is does he know the playbook as well as McCord. After all, McCord does have an extra year under his belt. Does Brown have the level of accuracy that McCord does? That is to be seen. It is hard to tell, especially without seeing him in the spring game due to injury.

Brown is listed at 6’3 213 so his size is almost the exact same as McCord. Brown only had 15 snaps last year. But when you throw on the film, it is clear that he is extremely talented. His ability to make plays and make throws is very impressive.

When you throw for 4,881 yards with 57 TDs while adding 430 yards on the ground and eight more touchdowns in your senior campaign, those stats speak for themselves.

Whoever does end up winning the quarterback battle, fans should not be afraid. Both of these young men are extremely talented, and I am unsure of who will be the starter come week one. But come week one, fans should not worry, as whoever does end it being the starter will be hungry to fill the role of Stroud.