Ohio State Will Slow Play Its Quarterback Situation

Ohio State is one of many powerhouse college football programs that needs to replace its starting quarterback from last season. In fact, every team that finished in the top 5 for 2020 needs to find a new signal caller.

Other contenders such as Florida are dealing with a similar situation, so it's not like the Buckeyes are behind the curve. Seeing how the quarterback competition develops during spring practice will be important for Ryan Day, though.

And it's going to be a slow process. Deciding prematurely who will start doesn't serve much of a purpose, especially when several guys are capable of winning the job. Day understands that.

"You can’t label somebody early on because it’s such a developmental position," Day said, via Letterman Row. "You think about some of the guys who have made it to the NFL. Along the line, they’ve hit adversity somewhere. It’s who can kind of handle that adversity and work to get better.

"So yeah, it doesn’t all come at once. It’s all part of the process, part of the learning."

Right now, there are at least three talented, capable options: C.J. Stroud, Jack Miller and Kyle McCord. Stroud should probably be considered the favorite, but it would be premature to count the other two out.

Both Stroud and McCord were five-star prospects coming out of high school. Miller was a four-star who was also rated the No. 13 pro-style quarterback in the 2020 class. So natural talent and ability won't be an issue for any of them.

If they want to win the job, they will have to demonstrate consistency -- limiting mistakes, playing with confidence, and executing plays that will help the team win. The player who can do that with the most consistency normally wins out.

This is going to be a fun quarterback battle to watch.

Follow Clint Lamb on Twitter @ClintRLamb.