College Football

Ohio State QB Devin Brown says transfer speculation comes from 'cowards'

Published Mar. 4, 2024 6:46 p.m. ET

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Ohio State quarterback Devin Brown says he remains committed to the Buckeyes despite seeming like a possible odd man out in what for now appears to be a very crowded quarterback room for the 2024 college football season — and had some harsh words for those believing he would depart via the transfer portal.

Brown served as Kyle McCord's backup in 2023, seeing action in five games but playing sparingly. He then started against Missouri in the Cotton Bowl, only to be knocked out of the game in the first half due to an ankle injury. Since the end of the season, where Ohio State finished 12-2 and lost to archrival Michigan for the third straight year, the Buckeyes have added quarterbacks Will Howard from Kansas State and Julian Sayin from Alabama via the transfer portal along with 2024 four-star signee Air Noland alongside 2023 four-star signee Lincoln Kienholz.

That means Ohio State seems poised to carry a whopping five quarterbacks heading into next season — all of whom except the graduate transfer Howard, the favorite to win the starting job for next season, were rated a consensus four-star or above coming out of high school. 

That seems to imply someone will have to leave, and Brown would seem a logical candidate since he has not wowed in his limited opportunities with the Buckeyes thus far.

But Brown told reporters Monday he is committed to staying at Ohio State, saying he's "a Buckeye through and through" and there to compete no matter what. 

He then gave a pointed response when asked about speculation that he could transfer.

"I think people are cowards," Brown said. "I think people are cowards, I think people have this thought in their own heads that I'm gonna leave, that I'm a quitter. That's never been me. These people live in their mom's basement and don't … know anything. They don’t know who I am, they don’t know who I’ve been, and that’s always who I’ve been."

Brown and Kienholz both told reporters Monday that they are aiming to compete with Howard for the Buckeyes' starting quarterback job under new offensive coordinator Chip Kelly, which Kienholz going as far to say he will stay at Ohio State in 2024 even if he does not win the starting job.

Meanwhile, Noland and Sayin are set to enter their true freshman seasons competing to be Ohio State's quarterback of the future. The four-star Noland seemed to be the heir apparent for that role once he officially signed with the Buckeyes at December's Early Signing Day, but then the five-star Sayin transfered to Ohio State after originally signing with Alabama thanks to the stunning retirement of Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban in January.

However, Noland said he welcomes the challenge to compete and share a locker room with Sayin, who he became friends with on the recruiting circut.

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"We’ll have to compete," Nolan told Eleven Warriors. We will be teammates who will push each other every day. We will battle, and we will have competitive excellence toward each other. That’s what being the best of buddies and true teammates means."

Something will eventually give — not even a highly-regarded offensive mind like Kelly can find regular roles for five talented quarterbacks. But so far, the three Buckeyes who were already in Columbus before the arrivals for Howard and Sayin are looking forward to making the new arrivals earn their spots.

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Devin Brown

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