Buckeyes Devin Brown Ranked No. 5 Best Backup QB
The Ohio Buckeyes finally know who will be their starting quarterback on Saturday in the season opener versus Indiana as coach Ryan Day announced during his press conference on Tuesday that the junior and betting favorite to win the job, Kyle McCord, will start versus the Hoosiers.
That decision by Day comes after a report from ESPN's Pete Thamel said that the Buckeyes were expecting to deploy a dual-quarterback system against Indiana. Yet, after another weekend of contemplation, Day publicly ended the position battle by naming McCord.
However, that doesn't exactly mean the end for Devin Brown. Day also said that the Draper, Utah sophomore will play against the Hoosiers, which would be the first significant snaps of his career after playing in two games last season, during which he didn't even record a pass.
Despite Brown only playing in two career games to this point, that hasn't stopped 247Sports' Clint Brewster from ranking the Buckeyes' backup as one of the best in the nation. According to Brewster, Brown ranks as the No. 5 best backup quarterback in the country this season.
"Brown, a second-year quarterback and the No. 5 signal-caller recruit in the 2022 class as a four-star prospect from Draper (Utah) Corner Canyon, has a lively arm to go along with functional athleticism and size," 247Sports writes.
The only names ahead of Brown, according to 247Sports, are LSU's Garrett Nussmeier at No. 1, Georgia's Brock Vandagriff and Gunner Stockton, who are tied for second, Texas's Maalik Murphy, and Oregon State's Aidan Chiles.
However, if Brown sees significant, meaningful playing time this season, he may rise up the rankings. LSU's Nussmeier solidified his No. 1 ranking after a strong showing off the bench in the SEC Championship against Georgia in relief of a then-injured Jayden Daniels.
Nussmeier completed 15 of his 27 passes for 294 yards with two touchdowns and just one interception during his snaps against the eventual national champions.
If Brown manages to put together a performance like that when his number is called, he may even make a case for becoming the best backup quarterback in college football.
