QB Quinn Ewers easing into role at Ohio State, a 'long way away' from being a factor

Quinn Ewers enrolled in classes at Ohio State over the weekend and practiced with the team for the first time on Monday.

But he’s not a factor in the Buckeyes’ preseason camp quarterback competition.

Addressing Ewers’ arrival, coach Ryan Day reframed the expectations surrounding the heralded passing prospect from suburban Dallas and made it clear that he was still getting up to speed.

“We're going to show him the locker room and show him around the facility,” Day said. “He obviously just got here and it’s the middle of camp. So we have a good plan in place to try to get him kind of going here in camp. He’s had a great attitude and we’re happy he’s here.”

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Ewers, a five-star prospect, was the top-ranked quarterback recruit in the class of 2022 before reclassifying and enrolling early, and from an early age, he had been on Ohio State’s radar as Day pointed out that he first offered him a scholarship when he was in the eighth grade.

“He’s got a tremendous amount of talent,” Day said.

During Ewers’ rise as a prospect at Carroll High School in Southlake, Texas, he became one of only six recruits to receive a perfect 1.000 rating in the 247Sports Composite.

But by arriving more than a week after the start of preseason camp, Ewers is afforded little time to join the mix.

The other scholarship quarterbacks have been through 26 team practices this offseason, and enough time has passed that Day felt comfortable enough on Monday to declare C.J. Stroud as the frontrunner to win the starting job over Kyle McCord and Jack Miller.

Day said they will continue to handle a majority of the reps in practice over Ewers, pointing to the Buckeyes’ fast-approaching season opener at Minnesota on Sept. 2.

“We got to get those guys ready first,” he said, “and then we'll bring him along as it goes.”

When asked about the potential for Ewers to see playing time in his first season at Ohio State, Day didn’t rule out the possibility, but downplayed it.

“We’re a long way away from that when it comes to Quinn,” Day said.

Latest on Palaie Gaoteote

Ohio State is still waiting on a ruling from the NCAA surrounding the eligibility of USC transfer linebacker Palaie Gaoteote.

Day said they remain optimistic he’ll be given a waiver to play for the Buckeyes this season.  

“We're really hoping that it works out for him,” he said, “because he's done everything we've asked him to do.”

But there is no firm timeline for when a decision might come.

“Hopefully we get a quick response,” Day said, “so we can get him some information and us some information so we can move forward.”

Scrimmage review

In assessing Saturday’s intrasquad scrimmage, Day said he was impressed by the performance from the defense, which features a slew of first-time starters between the linebackers corps and secondary.

He noted that they forced a handful of three-and-outs, tackled well and contested a lot of passes.

“It's not all perfect,” he said. “We've got work to do. We've got a lot of work to do. But it was competitive. There was energy. And it was a big step for our defense.”

Health status

Sevyn Banks, the Buckeyes’ top cover corner, is back at practice after he tweaked something earlier in preseason camp.

Defensive coordinator Kerry Coombs told Day that it was the first time they have had the entire secondary available since the start of camp.

“We got a pretty big secondary,” Day said, “so that was encouraging.”

Day also said that linebacker Dallas Gant, who missed spring practice because of a foot injury and revealed last week that he hadn’t quite returned to full health, “is starting to get back into the rhythm of things.”

Email Joey Kaufman jkaufman@dispatch.com and follow him on Twitter @joeyrkaufman