Ohio State lost one of its all-time best quarterbacks when Justin Fields announced his intentions to enter the 2021 NFL draft after the national championship game. It came as no surprise, but now it’s time to turn the page and find out who will replace one of the most dynamic players in all of college football.
For the Buckeyes, it looks like a three-ring QB competition, and what the group lacks in experience, it hopefully makes up for in talent. OSU has two highly-rated four-star guys coming back in C.J. Stroud and Jack Miller, and it also has five-star gunslinger Kyle McCord who will insert into the derby to push for that Cadillac position of the offense.
Head coach Ryan Day has said all along it will be an open competition this fall, so we’re taking him at his word. And with that, we’re handicapping the pros and cons of what we see from each as we try to figure out who might be the next face of the Ohio State offense. We start with a profile of each and then look in the crystal ball to determine who we believe starts in 2021.
NEXT … The dual-threat ability of C.J. Stroud
C.J. Stroud – Rising Sophomore
Why Stroud could win the starting job
For one thing, it looked like he was the next in the pecking order whenever Justin Fields went out of the game late in the year. He got most of the mop-up time against Michigan State, and filled in for one play when Fields was getting attention after a hard hit in the Clemson game. Stroud possesses better ability to ad-lib on the ground than the other two, so there’s probably a little more you can do with him. That seems to give him an advantage entering the spring and beyond.
What might hold Stroud back
He’s still raw. Stroud was a fast-climber in recruiting circles his senior year, but is still a work in progress. His throwing motion isn’t something you’d see at a quarterback clinic, and his arm strength and precision aren’t quite as good as the other two. He’s still good, but when it comes to pushing the ball down the field with reads and accuracy, he’s still good, not great.
NEXT … The kid from Arizona
Jack Miller – Rising Sophomore
Why Miller could win the starting job
He’s been in the program and is really right there with Stroud when it comes to the coaches’ confidence. In fact, earlier in the year, he was getting more of the snaps as the backup, and Stroud’s assumed assertion to backup role could have been more about situation than ability. Miller is smooth in the pocket, has a strong accurate arm, and ran an offense similar in high school to what he’s working with at Ohio State. He seems to process information and progress through his reads well. Now it’s just showing that at the next level.
What might hold Miller back
Though an underrated part of his game, Miller doesn’t have quite the running ability of Stroud to add that extra game-breaking ability. In today’s college game, a guy that can make something happen on the ground is tough to put on the shelf, and that’s just not Miller’s game. He also seems to have fallen a wee-bit behind Stroud based on last season so there’s some ground to make up.
NEXT … Enter the 5-star freshman
Kyle McCord – Rising Freshman
Why McCord could win the starting job
McCord is the wild card in all of this. He’s a five-star prospect, has enrolled early to get a jump on things, and Day has already stated that he’ll compete for the starting job right away. That means the Ohio State head coach likes the tools the Pennsylvania player of the year possesses. He can really spin it, is accurate to all levels of the field, and throws on the run well. Don’t discount his ability to hit a home run in this quarterback race because he’s also a good student of the game.
What might hold McCord back
Simply put, he’s behind the other two in terms of understanding the scheme and playbook. It would be different if the other two weren’t talented quarterbacks in their own right and McCord could be inserted because of sheer talent alone. Day has a complex system and McCord will need to get up to speed quickly and show that he has the ability to master the offense and go through progressions well. That’s easier said than done.
NEXT … What we see happening
Our way-too-early call on the OSU QB race
Starter – C.J. Stroud
Backup – Jack Miller
Waiting in the wings – Kyle McCord
You can hear what the coaching staff says, and then you can observe what happens when it matters. I have no doubt that this will be a completely open quarterback competition, and I wouldn’t be surprised at all if any of the three win the starting job — they are all more than capable. However, Stroud was trusted when Fields went out of the game last season and has the dual-ability that will allow a much more dangerous and varied offensive attack. But, if one of the other two grab this whole thing and separate, that’s a wonderful thing.
Ohio State football very early projected offensive depth chart for 2021
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