Devin Brown transfer portal prospects: 3 potential destinations for the Ohio State backup QB
Devin Brown has entered the transfer portal after playing for three years with Ohio State. While he has declared his intention to enter the portal, he will still be with the team when they play in the College Football Playoff this month.
Brown has been widely considered as snake-bitten so far in his college career. He has lost two very close quarterback battles in the past two seasons, losing to Kyle McCord in 2023 and then to Will Howard this season.
Brown has shown flashes of potential, but he has not been able to get consistent playing time, playing only on spells in his three years with the Buckeyes. He has thrown for 325 yards and 3 touchdowns, while also rushing for 37 yards and a touchdown.
With Will Howard set to leave after this season, it was thought that Brown would be the next QB up. However, head coach Ryan Day is reportedly impressed with freshman quarterback Julian Sayin’s potential and may look to him next season.
Not looking for another QB battle, Brown entered the portal and he will be looking to find a team where he can be the starter and play meaningful snaps. He has two years of eligibility remaining with whatever team he joins so let's look at three potential destinations for the quarterback.
3 potential landing spots for Devin Brown
#1, USC Trojans
The Trojans’ first year in the Big Ten has been a disaster, especially for the caliber of coaching they have with Lincoln Riley. The team’s 6-6 record is the worst of Riley’s coaching career.
Miller Moss tried his best, but he is no Caleb Williams. Moss only managed to throw for 2,555 yards (completing 64.4% of his passes), 18 touchdowns and 9 interceptions. It is safe to say that Moss is not the answer, and neither is Jayden Maiava.
Devin Brown could be a viable low-risk high-reward target for them considering his potential, and Lincoln Riley could use those two years remaining on his eligibility. This could help elevate Brown’s draft aspirations as he wouldn’t be short of targets in a capable wide receiver room featuring Makai Lemon, Zachariah Branch and Ja’Kobi Lane.
#2, Indiana Hoosiers
The Buckeyes will absolutely hate this if this happens, but with Ryan Day not really looking at Devin Brown for next year, it would be hard to blame him if he went to conference-rival Indiana.
Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti has the Hoosiers looking formidable, going 11-1 in his first season as head coach. A budding rivalry is forming between Cignetti and Day after their first meeting in Big Ten play this season.
With Kurtis Rourke leaving to pursue an NFL career after this season, what better way to stick it to the Buckeyes than by taking a quarterback they never valued and turning him into a huge success?
#3, Colorado Buffaloes
Even though Deion Sanders' future has been a subject of speculation, he has repeatedly stated that his focus is on Colorado. With Shedeur Sanders looking like a top pick in the NFL, Coach Prime will need a capable replacement.
Devin Brown could potentially be a perfect two-year plan for Deion if ever he does have ambitions to be an NFL coach but is waiting for a different team or set of circumstances. Sanders could spend those two years developing Brown into a star quarterback while building up his reputation to possible NFL franchises who will be looking for a coach in two years’ time.
This would be good for Devin Brown too, as aside from benefiting from time on the field, the Buffaloes' media following would boost his profile (and potentially NIL earnings) if he hits the ground running.