COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Despite the high-level play Ohio State football’s seen at quarterback in recent years, its ability to recruit the position has been anything but normal.
That position already comes with its own uniqueness in terms of recruiting. But the Buckeyes have habitually found themselves having to recruit it, then go recruit it again. With Dylan Raiola choosing to decommit after spending eight months as a five-star on top of its 2024 class, OSU has once again found itself in a similar position. Only this time, it’ll have a lot more time to accomplish it.
Only once in the Ryan Day era has Ohio State had a smooth ride in quarterback recruiting, and it has Kyle McCord to thank for that. McCord was a five-star in the 2021 class and its second member making that choice 20 months before Signing Day. He never waived from that decision or even had so much of a rumor of him doing so, and it helped a group that eventually ended up as the nation’s No. 2 class. His road to the field hasn’t been as smooth, but he’s set himself up to be the starter in 2023.
Everything else has been a rollercoaster.
Jack Miller — who’s now at Florida — was the first quarterback to commit to Ohio State, with Ryan Day on the staff as a top 100 recruit in the 2020 class. Injuries stagnated his development as he tumbled down the rankings, and it eventually reached a point where it was clear the Buckeyes would need to bring another person in with him. Then C.J. Stroud came along as a late bloomer coming onto the scene in July 2019, and six months later, he chose OSU on Signing Day.
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Quinn Ewers’ — now at Texas — recruitment had a quick detour as a Longhorns commit before he flipped to OSU 14 months before Signing Day as a five-star in the 2022 class. For the most part, things were normal before NIL became a factor, and he reclassified to the 2021 class putting OSU on the market for a replacement. Devin Brown quickly became a name to watch after a summer of rising up the rankings, and he eventually flipped from USC two weeks before Signing Day.
The 2023 class was always going to be abnormal. It’s the only cycle on this list that didn’t have a quarterback commit super early, as the program looking for a certain type of player. It found that over the summer in Brock Glenn, selling him on the idea of having a similar development path as Mac Jones. That commitment lasted six months before a decommitment — that was mutual on both ends — put the Buckeyes back on the market. They quickly identified Lincoln Kienholz as a late-bloomer from South Dakota, and he’s now committed a week before Signing Day.
All of those situations were times when OSU’s quarterback plans changed, but the clock was ticking on how long it had to rectify them. The 2024 cycle will not be that, as Raiola has given OSU a full year to replace him. It doesn’t change the impact that comes with losing a player as highly touted as Raiola, but it does make this a less pressurized situation.
There’s also the reality that Plan has often been a homerun in Columbus.
Not a single one of Ohio State’s last three starting quarterbacks was part of the original plan dating back to Urban Meyer’s last season as head coach. Dwayne Haskins was a late flip in the 2016 class once its first option Tristen Wallace decided he’d rather go play wide receiver at Oregon. Day had to go pull Justin Fields out of the transfer portal after the former five-star spent his freshman season at Georgia. Stroud was the second quarterback in his class.
None of them were the original plan, but all of them worked out, turning into Heisman Trophy finalists and first-round NFL Draft picks.
One can argue that the unplanned quarterback situation goes back even further than that. OSU’s last national title was built on the back of unplanned starting quarterbacks first, with J.T. Barrett replacing an injury Braxton Miller for the season, then Cardale Jones replacing an injured Barrett in the postseason.
Day has changed the way the trajectory of the quarterback position at Ohio State. But doing so hasn’t made finding the guys willing to play it any less of a rollercoaster. That crazy ride will continue into the 2024 cycle following Raiola’s decision. Though this time, it’ll do so with time on its side.
If history tells us anything, the Buckeyes’ Plan B won’t end up having them wishing Plan A had never fallen through.
To see Ohio State’s full 2024 recruiting class, click here.
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