Skull Session: Devin Brown Loves to Compete, Air Noland is “In Love With The Game of Football” and Jeremiah Smith “Never Wavered” in His Commitment to Ohio State

By Chase Brown on January 4, 2024 at 5:00 am
Devin Brown
Kevin Jairaj / USA TODAY Sports
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Welcome to the Skull Session.

BOOM.

Also, how 'bout them Buckeyes?

Have a good Thursday.

 THE FIGHTER. With former Kansas State quarterback Will Howard currently on campus visiting the Buckeyes, Devin Brown, Lincoln Kienholz and incoming five-star Air Noland could soon find themselves in a quarterback competition with an experienced Power 5 starter and second-team All-Big 12 honoree, should Howard commit to Ohio State.

While I can't speak for Kienholz and Noland (I will discuss Noland in the next section, however), Brown has never been one to run from competition. No, not with Kyle McCord before 2023. Not even with quarterbacks Brown's father, Andrew, would add to compete with his son on youth teams, which Andrew coached.

From Cameron Teague Robinson of The Athletic (Note: This article was posted before the Cotton Bowl):

When Ohio State quarterback Devin Brown was coached by his father throughout his youth football days, there was an understanding between the two: Brown had to earn his spot at quarterback from scratch before every season.

Andrew Brown would go to his son and say, “Hey Devin, I had to bring in another QB — this guy is better than you.” He refused to hand his son the starting job. Devin had to earn it. There was even one season when he forced Devin to split reps with the other quarterback.

“I would pull him,” Andrew said, “and he’d come over to the sideline and give me a look, like, ‘Really?’”

That’s just how Andrew grew up. For one, he didn’t want to give off the perception that the coach’s son got preferential treatment. He was also raised in a family where everything was earned and nothing was given.

“You have to earn your way,” Andrew said, “and if you don’t, I don’t think you’re as good as the guys who do.”

Every year, Devin won the starting quarterback job despite the adversity his father purposely put on him. So when Andrew reflects on the year his son has been through, it doesn’t bother him.

“He’s been an underdog even in his own house,” Andrew said. “There’s always something to overcome.”

From the injury that sidelined him for the spring game to losing the quarterback battle to Kyle McCord to getting injured against Penn State just after coach Ryan Day found a package to utilize his versatility, Devin Brown has been on a roller coaster as a redshirt freshman. But McCord is gone now, choosing to transfer to Syracuse. It’s all led to Friday night at the Cotton Bowl, when Brown will take the reins as No. 7 Ohio State’s starting quarterback against No. 9 Missouri. In some ways, it’s an audition for next season. Ohio State hasn’t tipped its hand too much about whether it will go into the transfer portal to fill the spot left by McCord, although it has been linked to Kansas State transfer Will Howard.

Brown's audition was cut short. He suffered an ankle sprain on the Buckeyes' third possession, an ailment that later removed him from the Cotton Bowl. His incomplete performance made an assessment impossible for Ohio State head coach Ryan Day. As a result, Day and Ohio State have made rumored links between themselves and Howard official. The 6-foot-5, 242-pound quarterback will be on campus soon. Howard could become a Buckeye before classes resume on Jan. 8.

However, as Andrew told The Athletic, don't expect Brown to back down if that outcome occurs. After a year where Brown suffered a broken bone and multiple ankle sprains – all of them at the most inopportune times – the 6-foot-3, 213-pound signal-caller wants to bounce back, no matter how Howard proceeds.

“He doesn’t ever put his head down and feel sorry for himself,” Andrew said. “That’s not in his makeup.”

The next four months could be make-it-or-break-it time for Brown in Columbus. Will he earn the coveted title of QB1, watch Howard from Ohio State's sidelines or enter the transfer portal? Whatever the result, Brown will fight to the end.

 AIR NOLAND, EVERYONE. When Air Noland committed to Ohio State on April 8, 2023, 247Sports' Brandon Marcello published the article, "A 'pure' southpaw with a beautiful mind: The sky's the limit for 2024 recruit Air Noland."

Marcello reposted a link to the article at 10:20 p.m. on Jan. 29, 2023, about the time Ohio State's offense had 139 yards of offense through three quarters due to – well, a lot of reasons, really – but due, in part, to the inconsistent performances of Devin Brown and Lincoln Kienholz.

I didn't see Marcello's post until well after the Cotton Bowl. However, since I was still in a depressive state, I clicked the link and read the article in the aftermath of Ohio State's 14-3 loss to Missouri.

Here are some excerpts from the article:

The Intro

Before he chose Ohio State on April 8, Noland visited six campuses in a month and was duly greeted by an avalanche of questions from coaches seeking information about his personal life.

They may not have expected Noland to break out a notebook filled with his own questions, notes about various offenses, and many pages of X’s and O’s he has compiled over the last year. Heck, he says you might even find a line item on the best practices to clean up a spill on the floor.

“I love knowing about things and I'm very open-minded,” Noland told 247Sports. “We're on this earth with only one life and you've got to live it up, know as much as you can. You want to ask a lot of questions and get answers because you never know when you might need those answers.”

Noland was a "riverboat gambler"

Noland completed 73.1% of his throws for 4,095 yards and 55 touchdowns against only four interceptions in 2022. He also ran for 156 yards and six more scores on 42 carries. He was just one touchdown pass short of breaking the state of Georgia’s passing record as a junior.

Physically, Noland might also have the quickest and most compact release among quarterbacks in the 2024 cycle.

Noland was a “riverboat gambler” as a passer early in his high school career, Hines said. “He wanted to throw everything deep,” said (Noland's now-former OC) Andrico Hines, who played quarterback at Middle Tennessee and in the Arena Football League. “There were not a lot of progressions. I had to tell him that if you want to sustain your career and play on the next level – and the next level after that – you have to learn how to read defenses and go through progressions. He has eaten it up.”

Noland blew Nick Saban away

Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher marveled at Noland’s propensity to quiz coaches and maintain eye contact during a recent visit to College Station, Texas, (Noland's father) Prentiss Noland Jr. said. Seems like a small thing, right? How does an inquiry overshadow natural arm talent, a player’s footwork, or an understanding of a robust playbook? Maybe it doesn’t matter at all, but coaches obsess over intangibles and identifying every strength and weakness.

“It blew Nick Saban away,” Prentiss Noland Jr., asserts.

Air often calls or texts Hines after visiting colleges, and usually invites himself to his former offensive coordinator’s house to draw up plays and share details on the campus. It’s reminiscent of their one-on-one meetings that would drag through midnight on school nights.

“I’m in love with the game of football,” Noland said. “Nothing can take me away from the game. My mom and dad sacrificed when I was little to be raised in a good household. My dad is very passionate, my mom is passionate about her kids and work, and I think I get it from them.”

This kid is a gamer.

He's a baller.

He's a playmaker.

He's a shot caller.

At some point, we will see Noland become Ohio State's QB1. When that time comes, I will be excited to see what the Deadly Lefty™ can do. (Yes, that could happen next season, but I won't hold my breath there).

 “HE NEVER WAVERED.” Jeremiah Smith had two hats below him on Dec. 21, 2023: One for Ohio State and one for Miami. After he chose the Buckeyes – and Ryan Day fell to his knees in relief – there was a delay between when he "signed" and when Ohio State received an official National Letter of Intent for the program.

Once Ohio State received Smith's NLI, a "drama-filled" day was over.

Yet, according to Smith, the drama may not have been all it was made out to be.

“I wanted to be a Buckeye since Day One when I committed, but the narrative was that I was flipping, but I just wanted to be a Buckeye,” Smith told On3 ahead of the All-American Bowl in San Antonio, Texas.

Before the Cotton Bowl, Ohio State offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach Brian Hartline confirmed the same story.

“He never wavered. His family never wavered,” Hartline said. “He can say what he wants two minutes before the hat came out. But he always told me the same thing. His parents always told me the same thing. ... His family is loyal. They always did what they said. And I can’t thank them enough. And I’ll tell you, I’m really excited for him. We’ll see him here in a couple of weeks.”

Smith, the No. 1 overall prospect in the 2024 class according to the 247Sports composite, will come to Columbus in January after three seasons at Chaminade-Madonna Prep (Hollywood, Florida) in which he collected 177 receptions for 3,116 yards and 46 touchdowns and led the Lions to three consecutive state championships.

But at Ohio State, Smith will have to earn his due in a wide receiver room – and a team – full of blue-chip recruits.

“I got to see bro in person,” Ohio State cornerback Denzel Burke said last week when asked about Smith. “All that high school stuff is cool, but when you got an elite corner lined up across your face, let me see what you can do. I heard he’s a five-star, he can move. ... But let’s line up, man. We’ll find out."

Ohio State wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, the No. 1 wide receiver and No. 9 overall prospect in the 2021 class, explained that how Smith performs in one-on-one matchups in practice matters; however, it's only part of what the freshman phenom will need to do in order to impress Hartline, Day and other coaches.

“When you’re a freshman, not much matters besides doing your job correctly and listening to coaching,” Egbuka said last week. “You’re going to step into a position later down the road where they have more trust in you, and you’re going to be able to experiment and do more things. ... But when you first get on campus, show (the coaches) that you know how to block right and run the correct assignment. Show them that you know the formations. Show them that you take lifting seriously – that you don’t show up late to meetings.

"If you’re an accountable young guy, and you just don’t mess it up, you’ll find a way on the field. Once you do that, your talent will take you a long way.”

Egbuka believes Smith, like many Ohio State receivers before him, will handle those tasks like a professional.

“He’s a quiet kid,” Egbuka said. “But those are usually the good type, the locked-in type. I’m excited to see what his career holds here at Ohio State.”

Me, too, Emeka.

Me too.

 WHAT IS BRO YAPPIN' BOUT? On Wednesday, Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy made some comments about the Wolverines' sign-stealing scandal in 2023.

I'll just – I'll just, um, yeah. I'll leave that here.

See you tomorrow.

 SONG OF THE DAY. "The Fighter" - Keith Urban and Carrie Underwood.

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