Devin Brown, Will Howard ready for QB competition at Ohio State

Field Level Media|published: Mon 4th March, 17:00 2024

Mar 4, 2024; Columbus, OH, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Devin Brown speaks to media at the start of spring practice at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center. credits: Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

Ohio State's Devin Brown had a strong message Monday for people who think he's intimidated by a tough quarterback room this spring.

Bottom line: He isn't transferring.

"I've said it through and through. I'm a Buckeye, and I'm here to compete, no matter what," he told reporters in Columbus, Ohio, the day before spring practices begin.

"Honestly," he continued, "I think people are cowards. I think people have this thought in their own heads that I'm gonna leave and I'm a quitter, but that's never been me. These people live wherever, in their mom's basement, saying stuff about me and they don't know (expletive). Excuse my language, but they don't know anything. They don't know why I am. They don't know who I've been, and that's always who I've been."

Brown, a redshirt sophomore, lost the starting job to Kyle McCord before the 2023 season, but when McCord announced his transfer at the end of the regular season, Brown was given the starting assignment in the Cotton Bowl against Missouri.

But Brown left the game in the second quarter of the 14-3 loss with an ankle injury, with freshman Lincoln Kienholz taking over.

Since then, the Buckeyes have brought Kansas State graduate transfer Will Howard and 2024 blue-chip recruits Julian Sayin and Air Noland in to compete with Brown and Kienholz. They will be trying to impress head coach Ryan Day and Chip Kelly, the new offensive coordinator.

Howard, who started 27 games at Kansas State, has one year of eligibility left. And he sounded confident when he addressed reporters Monday.

"I didn't come here to be nervous or to be timid or anything like that," Howard said. "I'm ready to go, and the fact of the matter is you know it might not all be perfect. I might make a few mistakes but that's how I'm going to learn and that's how we're going to learn as a team.

"Nothing's too big for me. Nothing's too big for this team. Spring ball, it's going to be a lot of learning across the board but I'm excited for that. I want to embrace that."

—Field Level Media

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