Ohio State football QB competition will be most interesting in college football

Ohio State football hasn't been shy about making big moves this offseason via the transfer portal. But the one or two that will have the biggest impact on their season will be the moves at quarterback.

Following the loss to Michigan, which was the only loss of the regular season for Ohio State last season, a 30-24 road loss at the hands of the national champions, starting quarterback Kyle McCord entered the transfer portal after throwing 24 touchdown passes compared to six interceptions.

Ohio State football responded by adding Will Howard, a quarterback from Kansas State who tossed 24 touchdowns and also rushed for over 350 yards last season. He threw for 2,643 yards and accounted for 27 total touchdowns.

Howard is the presumed starter. But the Buckeyes also landed a top-100 quarterback in the 2024 class in Air Noland, as well as the No. 1 overall quarterback in the 2024 class Julian Sayin, who signed with Alabama but entered the transfer portal after Nick Saban retired.

There's no question that Ohio State has more overall talent in the quarterback room, especially since Devin Brown and Lincoln Kienholz are also on the roster and were each highly-ranked four-star quarterbacks.

It's always possible that Ohio State football carries all five quarterbacks into fall camp, but I'd be surprised. There are just too many starting opportunities and it seems clear that Brown, despite starting in the Cotton Bowl, isn't going to be the guy.

Howard is the expected starter. He's the most proven and with Bill O'Brien coming in to call the plays, it seems likely that Ohio State will lean into running the quarterback, something it hasn't done in the past three seasons.

Yet, Sayin isn't the No. 1 overall quarterback for a reason. The good news on that front is that Howard is a one-year guy. You'd think that Sayin and Noland would stick around to battle it out in the fall of 2025 for the starting job.

But it will still be interesting to see the quarterback battle play out. The losers could be looking at the transfer portal while the winner, will always be looking over his shoulder due to the talent in the room and the expectations that come from playing for Ohio State football. You also have to wonder if Will Howard is a national championship quarterback because that's the expectation this season.

When you spend the money Ohio State has on the portal, it's national championship or bust.