When Devin Brown’s cleat became lodged in AT&T Stadium’s turf, he realized what was going to happen.He was all too familiar with the agony in his ankle. It was the exact same ankle injury—in the other foot—that he had sustained during the Penn State game in October, which had kept him out of action for five games.
Everything he had worked for since Kyle McCord entered the transfer portal vanished in a quarter. He had the opportunity to demonstrate in the Cotton Bowl that he could start for Ohio State. Rather, he was forced to watch from the sidelines as true freshman Lincoln Kienholz found it difficult to establish any sort of rhythm in a 14-3 defeat to Missouri.
“I was simply ill,” Brown stated. “After the game, I sat there and considered how helpless and powerless I felt. I believe I only had about two and a half drives, so it was difficult when my other leg started to hurt again.
Brown has been attempting to make an impression on the Ohio State program for the past year. However, the minute he has a chance, something shatters the momentum.
He was playing against McCord the previous spring when he had a fractured thumb, which prevented him from playing in the spring game. Head coach Ryan Day had set him up with a goal-line package in the autumn, but he suffered an ankle injury against Penn State. Likewise during the bowl match. In high school, he had never experienced any injury problems; today, he found himself unable to avoid them during the most important times.
“To have it taken away makes it seem like it was all in vain. It almost seems like a waste of time, Brown remarked. “Yet, I am grateful for and treasure that moment at the same time.”
Because of this, Brown approached the media with a clear chip on his shoulder on Tuesday, the day the Buckeyes are scheduled to kick out spring football. This offseason, he is involved in another quarterback competition, this time against Will Howard. With just one year left of eligibility for the Kansas State graduate transfer, Howard may appear to be the clear winner in this position, but Brown has no plans to simply step aside for the newcomer.
Brown declared, “I’m going to attack it like that because I’m always going to think I’m the best QB in the room and in the country.”
Following the Cotton Bowl, Brown and his family went back to Arizona. The strategy was straightforward: take it easy and let his ankle recover so he wouldn’t miss any of the winter workouts on the regimen. Everything proceeded according to plan, and he barely missed the offseason activities.
However, Ohio State continued to pursue Howard’s recruitment while he was at home. Howard made his pledge known on January 4, following the closure of the transfer portal for undergraduate applicants. Brown claimed he was informed at all times and that Day provided him enough notice about Howard’s signing to allow him to use the link if he so desired.
