Urban Meyer reveals what he looked for in a starting quarterback for Ohio State

On3 imageby:Kaiden Smith03/15/23

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One of the big tasks for Ohio State this offseason will be finding their starting quarterback. Devin Brown and Kyle McCord will be competing for the starting job this offseason, with one forced to fill big shoes and meet the high standard set by Buckeye quarterbacks of the past. Former Ohio State coach Urban Meyer spoke on Urban’s Take with Tim May about his experience going through quarterback competitions and what he looks for most.

“Well, you’ve got the measurables,” Meyer said. “It’s a little bit like the combine, the NFL Draft, you’re going to go look at Anthony Richardson, CJ Stroud, Bryce Young, they had great combines. You’re going to see Brown and McCord throw the ball around, you can see them run, you can see them escape pressure, and those are the measurables. And you chart those very closely but I’d even go a step further, what’s the ultimate job of a quarterback? To get a first down.”

Meyer referenced one of Ohio State’s most storied quarterback competitions from his time in Columbus, and if McCord and Brown can duke it out the way these two greats did, the Buckeyes should be in good shape for the 2023 season.

“When you really simplify the world, so your job is to get a first down and I would chart that. When we made the decision with Dywane Haskins and Joe Burrow, and that was the most notable one, there’s been other ones but with that one I mean we charted everything and it was very close,” Meyer said. “Both of them obviously are great players, Joe went on to be arguably the greatest college season of all time. Dwayne Haskins set every Ohio State record in ’18. But at the end of the day are you willing to do whatever it takes?”

Meyer’s top priority when evaluating quarterbacks in a competition is their ability to convert and create first downs. It seems simple, but moving the chains helps an offense score, and the more you score the more likely you are to win, especially in today’s age of football.

“My idea of a quarterback may be different than a lot, get the first down, because you know what happens when you get the first first down?” Meyer asked. “You can go get another one, and that’s the way in my opinion to teach quarterbacks, you select quarterbacks. I know he throws a great out route, he throws a great corner route, he throws this he throws that and that’s very important, those are called measruables. But at the end of the day your job is to go win a game.”

Winning will always be the top trait that a quarterback is measured by, but with Ohio State’s current quarterback battle, determining who the best winner will be a hard task. But finding out who can get the most first downs should be easier, as hopefully one of two competing QBs can show shades of future greatness.

Tom Brady is the greatest quarterback of all time not because he can throw the best. He has a great arm, but is it the best arm of all time? Probably not. You know what he does? He wins, and how does he win, he gets first downs. JT Barrett, once again I’m biased, JT Barrett didn’t make it in the NFL but he’ll go down in my mind as one of the great quarterbacks in college football history, you know why? He got first downs, and then he’d get another first down. Accumulation of first downs equal accumulation of wins,” Meyer concluded.