What We Learned as Buckeyes prepare for start of camp quarterback battle

COLUMBUS — The long-awaited resumption of Ohio State’s loaded three-way quarterback battle has arrived.

When it comes to the most important position on the roster, that’s all the Buckeyes were concerned about on the eve of training camp.

Yes, there is a major addition on the way this month who will join that room full of decorated recruits and try to play catchup with the guys who are vying for the open starting job. But Ohio State kept its focus almost exclusively on the passers who will actually be taking part in the critical two-week stretch of practice starting on Wednesday that is expected to settle the depth chart, putting off any conversations about how Quinn Ewers fits in until later.

“First off, there’s a lot of hard work that has been put in over these last 11 weeks, and certainly I know there’s been a lot of talk in the media, but this is about this team,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said. “This team has worked really, really hard this summer to create leadership and get ready to play in this first game. They are just excited to get back to work [Wednesday]. We’ll cross that bridge when we get there.

“Right now the focus is on this team and Practice No. 1.”

The Buckeyes have scripted every rep for the three contenders to take over the high-powered offense, and the heated competition that has spilled over from spring will take on a renewed sense of urgency early in the morning on Wednesday. Before Ohio State takes the practice field for the first time, the quarterbacks, position coach Corey Dennis and Day chatted with the media, and Lettermen Row took away a handful of lessons about where the unit goes from here.

Ohio State expecting to ‘need them all”

There is no public pecking order. And if all the competition dating back to the spring has established one privately, Ohio State is doing all it can to keep that secret for now.

C.J. Stroud is the presumptive favorite to win the job, carrying over the momentum after claiming the backup job last season, leading the unit during practices in March and April and establishing his leadership credentials during summer throwing sessions. But both surging freshman Kyle McCord and second-year prospect Jack Miller have the ability to take the reins for the Buckeyes as well, and the memory of 2014 still remains fresh for anybody inside the Woody.

“When you think about it right now, it’s a long journey all the way to January next year,” Day said. “That’s really the focus right now is to realize that in order for us to go win championships and get where we need to get to, that room has to be strong. They have to pull for each other. They’ve all put themselves in great position, and really the way we look at it is this Practice No. 16. There have already been 15 up to now, and they’re going to go continue to compete — which they’ve done. They’ve competed over the last 11 weeks. I’m really proud of where they’re at physically. I’m proud of where we’re at in terms of understanding the offense. Now we’ve got to go out and see how we execute the next couple days as we get going.

“There’s been a lot of good work, and they’re going to continue to compete. They came to Ohio State for a reason, and that was to compete. … We’re going to need all of them. The last time they won a national championship around here, it took several guys to go win it. I know that’s probably going to be the case this year.”

C.J. Stroud feels like ‘underdog’ for Buckeyes

The consistent appearances at the head of the Ohio State line in drills, the strong spring-game performance and even the Heisman Trophy betting odds have made it pretty clear who is expected to win the quarterback job this month.

But C.J. Stroud isn’t buying any of that hype right now, and in fact took exception to the suggestions that he was currently leading the race.

“Nah, I feel like I’m last, like I’m in the back,” Stroud said. “I take that mindset, because I’ve had that mindset since I was little to have a chip on my shoulder. That’s just kind of where I come from — always the underdog. I like that feeling. So, even if I am the frontrunner, it really doesn’t matter to me. I just want to be able to go out there and play the game that I love.”

Jack Miller ‘flushed’ Ohio State spring game outing

In an ordinary spring game, there wouldn’t have been anything all that unusual about the stats line Jack Miller posted or any reason to even bring it up three months later.

But considering the stakes in the three-man battle and the way his conservative, touchdown-less scrimmage compared to the big numbers the other guys posted, it’s understandable why that would be a lasting memory for the Buckeyes. Miller, though, tried to move on quickly and put it in perspective as just a small piece of what he considered a strong spring camp overall.

“I wouldn’t say it was frustrating, because I know myself and I know I got way better during the spring and throughout those 15 practices,” Miller said. “For me, I went out there — I wouldn’t call it a bad day, but it definitely wasn’t my best. But I knew what I had done that spring.

“I flushed it. It’s gone.”

Kyle McCord building momentum off solid Ohio State spring

The learning process isn’t even close to complete yet for Kyle McCord, and he’s well aware of that heading into his first training camp with the Buckeyes.

But the progress from January to July is clear, with the true freshman making the most of a head start as an early enrollee to put himself squarely in the competition for playing time this season.

McCord was buried in the playbook for months. He’s already taken those concepts to the field for 15 practices. And he’s also already undergone a noticeable physical transformation after both winter and summer conditioning periods with strength coach Mickey Marotti — all of which are significant in trying to make up ground after arriving a year behind Stroud and Miller.

“I thought the spring was a great opportunity for me to learn,” McCord said. “Getting here in January, I really thought that helped me get a head start in the playbook. Then just lifting with Coach Mick, my body is completely different from the time I got here. Spring ball went really well. I felt a lot of it was just getting adjusted to how things are run here and learning the playbook. I feel like around Practice No. 11 or 12, I started getting comfortable and hitting my stride. I felt like I did pretty good in the spring game. So, I was just trying to use that momentum into the summer, and I felt like I had a really good, productive summer as well.

“Obviously there’s still a lot to learn. But I feel like I’ve adjusted a lot better than I was [in spring].”