After Sunday's three-hour practice, it was clear to observers who'd watched the first four days of Ohio State's preseason camp that Will Howard had emerged as the front-runner for the Buckeyes' quarterback job.

Not so fast, Buckeyes offensive coordinator Chip Kelly said after Tuesday morning's practice. He maintains there is no pecking order yet in the quarterback competition.

Howard and junior Devin Brown are considered the clear leading contenders, ahead of redshirt freshman Lincoln Kienholz and true freshmen Julian Sayin and Air Noland.

Howard took all of the reps in 11-on-11 drills in Saturday's practice, which was open to reports.

"I wouldn't read anything into that," he said. "The next day he might have gone with the threes."

Kelly said he has told his players not to count their reps, but to make each rep count.

"I think they're doing a good job − all of them," Kelly said. "We're still going through that. I would say probably towards the end of this week, we'll start to home in on it.

"The lineup changes every day − who's in with which group. We're mixing and matching right now, just trying to make the most of our reps."

The Buckeyes are using two practice fields.

"We've got two different groups going at the same time," Kelly said, "and there's a bunch of reps to be had. I think we had 96 team reps in the first practice."

When Howard transferred from Kansas State, he was considered the favorite to succeed Kyle McCord as the Buckeyes' quarterback. But Howard had some struggles in spring practice, which was to be expected considering his adjustment to a new scheme, teammates and coaches.

More: 5 standouts from the start of Ohio State football training camp

Meanwhile, Devin Brown was entering his third year in the system and looked like it. He threw with authority and made it clear he was a serious candidate for the job.

Howard worked diligently after the spring to reshape his body, dropping about 15 pounds to 235, and looked more comfortable early in camp. He didn't throw an interception in the first four practices.

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Howard threw for 5,786 yards and 48 touchdowns in four years at Kansas State. He also ran for 921 yards and 19 touchdowns, which is significant because OSU coach Ryan Day has made clear he wants the quarterback run to be a bigger part of the Buckeyes' offense in 2024.

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State football OC Chip Kelly talks starting quarterback battle