Ohio State head coach Ryan Day announced Kyle McCord will be the team's full-time starting quarterback moving forward.
While McCord has received the majority of snaps ahead of Devin Brown, Day had yet to definitively select one over the other.
"We have decided that Kyle is going to be the starter, to make that distinction," he told reporters Tuesday. "We still plan on playing Devin, but we feel Kyle has really stepped up and deserves to be the starter."
McCord had a somewhat nondescript final line in the season-opening victory over Indiana (20-of-33 for 239 yards and an interception), and there was little insight to be gleaned when OSU played an overmatched FCS opponent. The same will probably hold true for the Buckeyes' next game at home Saturday against Western Kentucky.
Still, Day was bound to make up his mind quickly because that Sept. 23 matchup with No. 9 Notre Dame is less than two weeks away. Dragging out the QB1 situation wasn't working to anyone's benefit, especially when McCord has done enough to at least look convincingly better than Brown.
The junior is 34-of-53 for 497 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Brown, meanwhile, is 8-of-16 for 99 yards.
Brown's mobility can be a big X-factor when he's on the field.
Big Ten Football @B1GfootballYou've heard that Devin Brown brings a lot of athleticism and mobility.<br><br>Here's your first look at it, on a successful 4th-and-7 conversion. 👀 <a href="">
Still, Day reflected after the 35-7 win over Youngstown State how the sophomore "was a little anxious" at times.
Buckeyes fans know all too well how playing musical chairs at quarterback can ruin the flow of an offense over the course of the season. Then-head coach Urban Meyer cycled through J.T. Barrett and Cardale Jones as the starter in 2015, and it helped derail Ohio State's national title defense.
McCord might feel like a downgrade for a fanbase that grew accustomed to seeing first-round NFL draft picks under center, but giving him the keys to the offense sooner rather than later was the right call.
