COLUMBUS, Ohio — Often in football, too much is made about a room. As great as it is to have depth at quarterback, a team is often only as good as its starter.
However, that isn’t always the case at the collegiate level. Competitions can carry into a season, and at times, a late change under center could still result in postseason success. Ohio State saw that happen during its national title run in the 2014 campaign.
So where does Ohio State’s quarterback room rank nationally a decade later? Heading into the 2024 season, ESPN ranked quarterback situations in tiers.
The Buckeyes landed in the third tier, which was labeled as, “Checking the upside meter.” Ohio State – with transfer Will Howard alongside Devin Brown and Julian Sayin – shares that tier with Memphis, Missouri and Ole Miss.
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- How Will Howard, the offensive line and the rest of Ohio State’s offense graded vs. Akron
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Nine teams, and 15 quarterbacks, landed in the two tiers above. Alabama, Georgia, Oregon and Texas made up the top, “Cream of a questionable crop” tier while Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Miami and Utah were just below and labeled as, “Tier 1 with an asterisk.”
Coach Ryan Day has yet to announce who Ohio State’s starter will be, and perhaps that won’t be determined before the season kicks off. To be in the third tier among 20, though, suggests the Buckeyes have strong options.
Lessons from Nick Saban: Don’t forget your credential
With Big Ten Media Days on the horizon, Day and his conference counterparts might want to make an important note of what went down at the SEC’s proceedings in Dallas this week.
Nick Saban, the legendary Alabama coach who retired this year, is part of ESPN’s coverage of SEC Media Days. However, his trip to the set was delayed Monday as Saban forgot his press credential in his hotel room.
“It’s a little different,” Saban said. “I’ve never worn a credential in my life and was always for 17 years able to get into SEC Media Day without a credential. I had to go back to the room today and get my credential to get in.”
However, the strict enforcement may have just been a rude awakening for Saban in his new role. Georgia’s Kirby Smart made sure his former boss knew about it.
“I do want it to be duly noted that I got in here without a credential today,” Smart said in his opening statement Tuesday.
Key dates
· Chelsea vs. Manchester City soccer match at Ohio Stadium: 17 days, Aug. 3
· 2024 opener vs. Akron: 45 days, Aug. 31
· Ohio State at Oregon: 87 days, Oct. 12
· Ohio State at Penn State: 108 days, Nov. 2
· The Game 2024: 136 days, Nov. 30
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