Ohio State second-year quarterback Devin Brown (33) works on handoffs during Ohio State’s first open practice on Tuesday. Credit: Zachary Riley | Photo Editor
When first-year quarterback Devin Brown took the indoor field Tuesday for the first spring practice, there was something new about him.
Although the ongoing quarterback competition loomed throughout the Woody Hayes Athletic Center, Brown donned a black practice jersey signifying Buckeye quarterbacks. Instead of the familiar No. 15 he wore last season, Brown switched to No. 33, something he foreshadowed in a tweet Feb. 25, and said he wore the latter number until his sophomore year in high school.
Brown said he approached head coach Ryan Day about the number switch, and said No. 33 honors Pro Football Hall of Famer Sammy Baugh.
“He was the first quarterback inducted in the Hall of Fame in 1963 with the Washington Football Team, so he’s a legend,” Brown said. “That’s the original quarterback number, in my opinion, so I wanted to wear off the original quarterback number.”
Ohio State has not seen Brown play too much after his first year in the program.
Like former quarterback C.J. Stroud, Brown will enter the Buckeyes’ latest quarterback competition having not thrown a pass in his college career. Brown appeared in two games during his debut season last fall and had one rushing yard in his lone carry.
Brown said he’s “no Justin Fields,” but believes he’s “in between” Fields and former quarterback Stroud in terms of his play. The 6-foot-3, 213-pound Brown described himself as someone who can make a play in an impactful way.
“I’m an athletic quarterback,” Brown said. “I feel like I can extend plays with my feet, make guys miss but also have the arm strength to make pretty much every throw on the field. And I believe that with my whole heart. There’s not a throw on the field that I cannot make.”
A four-star recruit in the class of 2022, Brown flipped his commitment from USC to Ohio State in December 2021. He spent the final season of his high school career at Corner Canyon High School in Utah under the tutelage of former Buckeyes quarterback Joe Germaine, passing for over 8,000 yards and 85 touchdowns at the prep level that originally began at Queen Creek High School in Arizona.
Listed as a pro-style quarterback according to multiple recruiting outlets, Brown flashed his mobility at times throughout practice. He said he made adjustments to his throwing style that reflect changes for both his lower body and his arm.
“I changed a few things mechanically this offseason with coach Day and coach Fitch and coach Dennis,” Brown said. “Changed a couple things with my feet, getting the ball up, having a quick release, and so I think those things have really helped me to be able to even add to my arm strength.”
Across mechanical changes, jersey number switches and a number of other things he’s experienced in one year at Ohio State, Day said Brown is comfortable with the uncomfortable.
“He’s never shied away from competition and never shied away from grabbing onto something,” Day said.
Brown can draw inspiration from previous second-year quarterbacks, such as Fields and Stroud, who’ve gone through quarterback competition and emerged the starter.
Fields transferred to Ohio State after the 2018 season and earned the Buckeyes’ starting position as a sophomore in 2019, and Stroud also received the starting nod as a second-year in 2021.
“We go back and watch even Braxton [Miller] and J.T. [Barrett] and Dwayne [Haskins], all these guys,” Brown said. “You look back and you’re like, ‘All these guys were the same as us. They’re in the same position as us.’ It didn’t matter where they are on the depth chart. We’re the best quarterback room in the country and everybody can play.”
Brown sought to make an impression throughout his first season at Ohio State, which started as an early enrollee in January 2022.
Behind Stroud and competitor second-year Kyle McCord as a backup in quarterbacks coach Corey Dennis’ room, Brown took an apprentice role while developing as a college signal-caller and showing his new teammates who he is.
“Devin’s awesome,” Dennis said Feb. 1. “He’s an athletic kid with great personality. Guys do gravitate to him. But it’ll be fun to see when these guys get more reps, and that’s what we’re excited going into the spring is seeing guys being able to take a lot of reps.”
A quarterback competition is enough to place pressure on any quarterback, and in Brown’s case, he’s up against friend and competitor McCord who has an additional year of experience at Ohio State.
But Brown knows what he’s in for. He said competing against McCord and to become the Buckeyes’ next starting quarterback “boosts my confidence,” and he’s ready to seize the opportunity.
“Being the quarterback at Ohio State, there’s really nothing better,” Brown said. “This is a top job. I mean, you’re the head of college football if you’re the quarterback at Ohio State, so I really have to lock in. And my mindset is I want to do everything possible to take this over.”