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June is right around the corner, so you know that means: Ohio State summer football practices! All throughout last summer, Ryan Day didn’t know who the starting quarterback was going to be. If I was in charge, I would make sure to change that this year.

Obviously one of the main problems last season was that Kyle McCord just wasn’t the right fit to be the Buckeyes’ QB1. However, I think a big contributor to that was due to the fact that he was named the starting quarterback so late into the process.

Ryan Day had said that he was favoring Devin Brown for a good portion of the summer and fall practices. Yet, McCord really came on towards the end of those practices and took the lead. While he ended up with the starting job, he most likely was not mentally prepared, since he physically wasn’t the starter until August.

Now, I’m not making excuses for him; He should have been ready no matter the circumstances. After all, you’re the starting quarterback for Ohio State. However, I think being named the starter as early as possible is clearly beneficial for the player and the team as a whole.

Will Howard transferred here for a reason. He has one season of eligibility left and he chose to come to Ohio State and be QB1, improve his draft stock and win a national championship. But with so much competition, the starting job isn’t just going to be handed to him. In fact, for the majority of what the media saw in the winter and spring, including the spring game, Howard was taking second-team reps to Brown.

Brown has stuck it out and put in his time in this program. He is a fiery leader for this team and has dual-threat abilities. One downside — he has gotten injured a lot. He really has had bad luck staying healthy, especially in the Cotton Bowl, which was really his time to show what he’s got after McCord transferred. But, there is no denying that he is talented and a great veteran presence.

Now, I haven’t even mentioned Lincoln Kienholz, Julian Sayin and Air Noland, the other quarterbacks on this insanely talented roster. While there is definitely a lot of buzz surrounding Sayin, including from Day himself, I just find it hard to believe that a freshman would get the starting job over Howard or Brown.

I am not writing this article to declare who the starting QB is going to be. I truly don’t know. Day can definitely surprise us all sometimes. My point is, I think he needs to make the decision as soon as possible. I know that’s not as easy as it sounds, and you don’t want to make the wrong decision, but I don’t think he should wait until a couple weeks before the first game to announce it.

This team has the talent and the veterans to accomplish all of their goals. There is absolutely no doubt about that. The offense features with the best running back duo in the country, along with the best wide receiver room. They need a playmaker under center to make it all happen.

Personally, I think a good time frame to name the starter would be around mid-July. That way, the team will have been practicing with whoever it will be for over a solid month before the first game. Also, that way the quarterback can mentally build confidence as he is taking the first-team reps. He doesn’t have the additional worry of if he’s going to win the job; he can just focus on doing it.

We will see if this actually happens. Typically in the past it has not worked out well for a starter to be named late, or to go into the season with two starters. I’m interested to see who wins the job and when he will be named. Let the best man win!