Ewers Transfer Caught Buckeyes Coach Ryan Day By Surprise

The only person surprised by former Ohio State quarterback Quinn Ewers' decision to transfer seems to be Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day. As OutKick reported over the weekend, Ewers, a highly-regarded and highly-compensated 18-year-old, is leaving Columbus so that he can get on the field sooner. Much like the Michigan ground game a week earlier, Day didn't see this thing coming.

“It caught me, for sure, a little bit off guard,” Day said Sunday afternoon.

It wouldn't be a stretch to say that Ewers' decision to enter the transfer portal was based on the success of first-year starter CJ Stroud, who played well enough to have his name mentioned in the Heisman conversation. Stroud will be in Columbus for at least another season, meaning Ewers would again likely find himself competing for backup duties.

“I think he was in a very unique situation, for sure, and we wish him nothing but the best of luck moving forward," said Day. "But boy, there’s just a lot that's going on right now in college football, whether it's early enrollees or the transfer portal and those type of things. We're just going to do the best we can to try to adapt as time moves on.”

Ewers' decision to flee Columbus came less than a week after third-string quarterback Jack Miller announced his intentions to do the same.

“A lot of guys want to play,” added Day. "And I get it, so we'll just try to do the best we can to forecast it. We feel really good about the guys we have on our roster right now.”

What shouldn't surprise Day is where the Buckeyes landed on the college football bowl schedule. Ohio State and their depleted quarterback room are slated to face off with Utah in the Rose Bowl on New Year's Day.

 

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