CFB: Breaking Down the Ohio State Quarterback Battle

As arguably the best quarterback in program history, former Buckeye Justin Fields is off to the NFL. Who will replace the star dual-threat QB? Fields allowed Buckeye coach Ryan Day a smooth transition into the head coaching role in Columbus after Fields transferred prior to Day’s first year in charge in 2019. There won’t be a quarterback as talented as Fields walking through that door for the 2021 season. Who will it be? Let’s break down the candidates.

C.J. Stroud

A two-sport athlete (basketball being the other) at Rancho Cucamonga HS in Rancho Cucamonga California, Stroud joined the Buckeyes as part of the 2020 recruiting class, ranking as a four-star pro-style quarterback (6-2.5 194 lbs), the second-ranked pro-style quarterback in the country and the fourth-ranked player in California. He has a strong, accurate arm with good deep ball accuracy, although didn’t start on varsity until his junior year of high school. 247 Sports ranks him as a future top draft pick in his scouting profile. In his senior year at Rancho Cucamonga, Stroud threw for 3,878 yards and 47 touchdowns in 13 games, completing over 66 percent of his passes.

Jack Miller

Another four-star recruit in the class of 2020, Miller (6-4 210 lbs) hails from a state over from Stroud in Arizona, attending Chaparral HS in Scottsdale. Miller ranked as the 13th-ranked pro-style quarterback in the class of 2020 and the ninth-ranked player in Arizona. A four-year varsity starter, the MaxPreps All-American holds the Arizona 2A state record with 115 career passing touchdowns, and 3,653 passing yards/53 touchdowns in a season.

Kyle McCord

The most prestigious recruit of the three, McCord (6-3 215) arrives on campus as a third-ranked pro-style QB, 27th-ranked player overall, and a five-star recruit in the class of 2021 out of St. Joseph’s Prep in Philadelphia. Scouts love his good frame and strong arm. He won a third consecutive state championship in the fall, setting Pennsylvania 6A state records with 6,887 passing yards and 88 touchdowns for his career. His dad, Derek McCord, played quarterback at Rutgers from 1988-1992.

Who is Going to Win the Job?

It’s hard to tell now in the spring. All three guys have been getting first-team reps during spring practice. Stroud has been getting a heavier share of first-team than the other two and is seen as the favorite, but Ryan Day doesn’t seem to be in a rush to name his new quarterback. Why would he? You don’t want to lose your quarterback depth to the transfer portal in the middle of April.

The Buckeyes play their spring game on Saturday (April 17th), and it seems like the reps will be broken up pretty evenly between the three of them. Take whatever results that occur with a grain of salt, because I don’t think Day will make any sort of decision or suggestion about who leads to the quarterback race. This will be something we don’t find out until fall camp. Regardless, the Buckeyes have three extremely talented options to replace Fields.