Oller's Second Thoughts: Ohio State quarterback room crowded but cool, at least so far
Look under the hood of the brotherhood that Ohio State football players like to reference and you’ll find some brotherly shove among the love. These guys push each other to get better, and competition can burn, even before anyone steps on the field.
Freshman quarterback Lincoln Kienholz would not be human if he did not feel a sharp pinch after hearing from coach Ryan Day in January that the Buckeyes would be adding transfer quarterbacks Will Howard from Kansas State and Julian Sayin from Alabama.
It already was going to be a challenge trying to move ahead of Devin Brown on the depth chart, as well as holding off Air Noland, and now there were going to be two more QBs to compete against.
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Where would Kienholz fit in? How would the quarterback room operate with five arms competing for one job? So far, everybody is getting along, but being a brotherhood, well, brothers know how heated things can get in close quarters.
The trick is to keep emotions in check, deal in the positives and try to refrain from playing the comparison game.
“Still staying focused on what you want to do and staying positive and confident in what you can do helps,” Kienholz said Monday, the day before spring practice begins. “No one is a perfect quarterback, so there are things you are good at that no one else is good at.”
Kienholz will know more what those things are once spring ball gets underway, but as a former three-sport high school athlete in Pierre, South Dakota, he does not lack confidence in his athletic ability. He played high school basketball and drew interest from the Colorado Rockies as a baseball prospect before settling on football.
Kienholz took the most snaps in the 14-3 Cotton Bowl loss to Missouri after Brown left with an ankle injury in the first quarter, but he still was able to count it as a redshirt season.
What did he learn from a bowl game experience where so much went wrong?
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“That game wasn’t the best we played offensively, but it gives me a good measuring stick of where I need to be, and how fast the game is,” he said. “It’s way different from practice and games.”
It’s a stretch to think Kienholz will outduel Howard and Brown to win the starting job. Who knows if he even stays ahead of fellow freshmen Noland and Sayin? He insisted he has not created a pecking order in his mind of how the quarterback competition will play out, saying only that Brown has more experience in Day’s system – soon to become Chip Kelly’s system – and Howard has more experience overall.
Might Kienholz consider transferring after spring practice ends April 13 if he does not see himself being at least third on the depth chart? In the world of NIL and automatic transfers with immediate eligibility, few would blame him for keeping his options open. He will let March and April play out and see where the business of football takes him.
Table set for next Ohio State basketball coach
Jake Diebler’s 4-1 start as interim coach of the Buckeyes is as much a sign of the future as the present. It shows there is enough talent on the roster to avoid finishing near the bottom of the Big Ten next season. If the talent returns, that is.
Ohio State does not play again until Sunday, finishing the regular season at Rutgers, but this is a big week nonetheless, because new athletic director Ross Bjork plans to meet with players to see what they’re thinking and feeling about the ongoing coaching search.
It would not be surprising if players push Bjork to remove the interim tag from Diebler. The coach you know and like is a safer bet than a stranger coming in with change in mind, especially if you’re an established starter.
There always is the chance players transfer out if Bjork passes on Diebler. A lot depends on who gets hired and how he connects with the team. If everyone stays, a solid enough foundation is in place, bolstered by Bruce Thornton and Roddy Gayle Jr. Add those two building blocks to returning players Felix Okpara, Scotty Middleton, Devin Royal and Evan Mahaffey and the possible return of Zed Key, and the Buckeyes should win a minimum of 20 games in 2024-25. If they can find a consistent outside scoring threat, that is.
Devin Brown listening in
"People are cowards. People have this thought in their own head that I'm going to leave and I'm a quitter, but that's never been me. These people live wherever, in their mom's basement, and they don't know anything. They don't know who I am." Ohio State quarterback Devin Brown, explaining speculation continues that he might transfer after spring practice ends if he does not see himself starting next season.
Off-topic
I’ve never been in a bar fight, but I’ve been close enough to see blood spilled. I’m interested in knowing the No. 2 reason arguments begin and fists fly; No. 1 is alcohol consumption, of course. But after that? Personal insult? Overheated sports debate? Fight over a girl or guy? Whether Pabst is better than Natty Light? Or maybe just two angry drunks being at the wrong place at the wrong time? Weigh in if you’ve been there.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Oller's Second Thoughts: Ohio State quarterback room crowded but cool
