Despite pre-draft rumors of a substantial slide due to reportedly terrible S2 cognition test results, C.J. Stroud was selected by the Houston Texans with the second overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft. While he’s the latest Buckeye to become a first-round draft pick, attention now turns to his replacement at Ohio State for the 2023 college football campaign.
Who Replaces C.J. Stroud at Ohio State After the 2023 NFL Draft?
Stroud follows former Buckeye quarterbacks Justin Fields and Dwayne Haskins as a first-round NFL Draft pick. While Ohio State has been blessed with impact-making quarterback talent in recent years, the immediate future is far less clear than it has been for some time.
Heading into spring camp, the battle to be named the Buckeyes’ starter for the 2023 college football season focused on Kyle McCord and Devin Brown.
Although Ohio State added transfer Tristan Gebbia and highly-rated high school QB Lincoln Kienholz, the consensus of opinion — certainly outside of Columbus — focused on McCord and Brown.
Boasting more experience, McCord was considered the favorite to land the starting job over Brown. However, as the Buckeyes opened spring practice, Ohio State head coach Ryan Day referred to “a lot of competitive situations, winner/loser days” that he hoped would provide an answer by the end of the spring.
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While some programs resolved their starting quarterback battle during spring games — Texas, for example, anointed Quinn Ewers the Longhorns’ starter after his performance in their spring game — the Ohio State spring game provided no further clue as to which young, talented signal-caller will take the starting snaps in the Buckeyes’ season opener against Indiana.
“I think what you saw in the game was similar to what you’ve seen in practice. Some good things, some things that you’d like to see a little bit better. But he’s growing,” Day said of presumptive starter McCord following an inconsistent spring game performance.
“I think that the picture sometimes was clean, other times not as clean…But you saw there was some sparks. I thought the throw to Carnell [Tate] was an excellent one. But there’s stuff that he wants to look to improve on. So we’ll get on the film and figure out what that was.”
With Brown sidelined from the spring game due to a finger injury, McCord missed the opportunity to solidify himself as the starter coming out of spring camp. While throwing for 184 yards on 34 pass attempts, he only scored one touchdown — a 37-yard dart to true freshman wide receiver Carnell Tate. As a result, the battle rages on into summer camp.
Will McCord Replace Stroud Following the 2023 NFL Draft?
Despite Day declining to name a starter following spring camp, McCord has long been considered the favorite to replace Stroud at Ohio State following the 2023 NFL Draft. Arriving in Columbus out of St. Joseph’s Prep as a five-star recruit in the 2021 class, the path to being the long-term successor for the Buckeyes seems clear.
The 6’3″, 222-pound redshirt-freshman was a phenomenal high school quarterback, setting city and league records for career passing yards and touchdown passes. Meanwhile, he set the school passing yardage record after winning the St. Joseph’s starting job as a sophomore.
Praised for his size, strong arm, poise, and accuracy, McCord was viewed as the sixth-ranked quarterback in the 2021 class as per the 247 Sports composite. The Buckeyes fought off offers from bitter rivals Michigan amid an avalanche of national attention to land their successor to Stroud.
The son of a former Rutgers QB, McCord has football in his blood, and in his battle with Brown, he has experience in his favor. The presumptive Buckeyes’ starter has completed 70.7% of his 58 pass attempts in limited usage, averaging 10.4 yards per pass.
Will Brown Replace Stroud Following the 2023 NFL Draft?
Although McCord’s experience operating the Ohio State offense and impressive high school recruiting profile have made him the favorite to be named the starter, there’s a reason why Brown is on the Buckeyes’ roster. He’s no schmuck making up the numbers and boasts an impressive high school résumé of his own.
While he might have “only” been a four-star quarterback in the 2022 recruiting class, the sixth-ranked QB was still a significant addition to the Buckeyes. An Elite 11 finalist, Brown threw for almost 8,000 yards and 85 touchdowns during 31 games across Queen Creek and Corner Canyon High Schools.
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The 6’3″, 213-pound passer is an impressive athlete whose overall profile enabled him to be a two-sport standout at the high school level. Day told ESPN’s Heather Dinich that the less experienced — Brown threw just one pass in his redshirt freshman season — of the two quarterbacks possesses similar traits to the player many consider Stroud’s replacement.
“Devin has some similar traits, hasn’t had as much time in the offense but has learned quickly. I’ve been very impressed with the amount of information he’s been able to process in a short period of time. Very good athlete, can move and change direction very well. Got some strength to him, strong arm. And again, very competitive.
Whoever Replaces Stroud after the 2023 NFL Draft, the Competition is Making Each Individual Stronger
While we may not know who will replace Stroud as the Ohio State starting quarterback until closer to the opening weekend of the 2023 college football season, the competition is bringing out the best in both quarterbacks as they strive to land the QB1 role.
“The competition’s been great. I mean, we both know what it is. But I think at the end of the day, Devin is definitely making me better,” McCord said after the spring game.
“And I think vice versa as well. Even though there’s not a winner of the job yet, I think that benefits both of us, honestly. I think it’s gonna push both of us going into fall camp, and there’s still a lot of time until the season.”
“No matter who wins, we’re going to keep pushing each other every week,” Brown told the media after the opening practice of the spring camp. “That’s how we’ve been every practice.”
