COLUMBUS, Ohio: With the practice of spring in the books, the Ohio State quarterback derby will move to fall training.
This is no surprise, given that the candidates to succeed star Justin Fields are two sophomores and a true freshman. Neither has thrown a pass in a college game.
CJ Stroud, Jack Miller III and Kyle McCord, enrolled early, had a lot of action in Saturday’s annual spring game, with none gaining a clear advantage. Stroud and McCord each threw two touchdown passes on the controlled beat.
“That was very similar to what it’s been all this spring,” coach Ryan Day said. “Some good, some not so good and a lot of learning opportunities. There are flashes here and there, and then there are just a few learning opportunities. The race is underway over the next few months to see who can take the next step. . “
None of the quarterbacks were available after the game, but the teammates liked what they saw. Fifth-year offensive lineman Thayer Munford is confident any of the three can lead the Buckeyes when they open the season on Sept. 2 in Minnesota.
“Whoever is behind me and the offensive line when we play Minnesota, everyone knows he’s going to be the guy,” Munford said. “I’m happy with our quarterbacks right now.”
Day returns for his third year as Ohio State’s head coach. He has 12 starters returning from the 2020 team that finished 7-1 in a reduced season for COVID-19. The Buckeyes won a fourth consecutive Big Ten championship and moved on to the national championship game, where they were defeated by Alabama.
“The number one goal was to get out [of the spring] healthy and we did, “Day said.” We had a really physical spring. It was great to go out, get into the stadium and play. “
The game was played against a limited influx of about 19,000 fans, which advanced after the Buckeyes played home games at an almost empty Ohio stadium all last season.
IT’S NOT A JOKE
The Big Ten Network reports that 2021 will be the first season since 1952 that the Buckeyes will start a quarterback who hasn’t gotten a college pass. This was the second year of legendary coach Woody Hayes’ 28-season run in Columbus. The Buckeyes finished 6-3 then.
APLENTITY OF FRESH
McCord was among the top 15 enrolled students who participated in the spring internships. Other notables from the nation’s No. 2 recruiting class included defensive end Jack Sawyer, great receivers Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka, and runners TreVeyon Henderson and Evan Pryor.
TRAINING ROOM
Ohio State went through spring drills without several injured players expected to begin in the fall. They included guard Harry Miller, defensive end Haskell Garrett, central defender Dallas Ghent and cornerbacks Sevyn Banks and Cameron Brown. Everyone is expected to be ready for the start of the preseason camp in August.