Welcome to your Daily Buckeye Blitz for Thursday, January 12th, 2023. I am your host, Joe from the Buckeye Cast. We have some big announcements coming through on social media. Matt Jones is returning to the guard, which the team really needed. Luke Wypler is entering the NFL draft, which is somewhat of a surprise. The question now is whether they will slide Matt Jones over to center. This will be a big question for the Buckeyes’ off-season.
Today’s show, I wanted to talk to you about the 2023 quarterbacks for the top four teams in the country. In my opinion, the top four teams are Georgia, Alabama, Ohio State, and Michigan. Even though they didn’t do as well in the playoffs, Michigan is still a top team. Three of these top four teams are starting first-year starters this coming season, yet they are all favored to win the national championship.
Let’s start with Georgia, who just won the national championship and is looking to go back-to-back. In 2020, Carson Beck was a four-star recruit and is currently slated to be their starter. In 2021, Brock Vandagriff is a five-star recruit, and in 2022, Gunner Stockton is a four-star recruit. Georgia did not bring in a quarterback in their 2023 class. Beck is the elder statesman, having been around for three years. He played in a few games last season, including the national championship game. He had 35 attempts, 26 completions, 300 yards, and four touchdowns. Vandegrift and Stockton did not get much playing time.
Let’s talk about Alabama. In 2020, they recruited Bryce Young, a five-star quarterback who is now going to the NFL. Jalen Milroe, a four-star recruit, and Ty Simpson, a five-star recruit in 2021, were also brought in. In 2023, they have two four-star recruits, Eli Holstein and Dylan Lonergan, but they are not in the equation. So, it comes down to Jalen Milroe and Ty Simpson. We saw Milroe last year, and I’m not sure if he’s a quarterback. Ty Simpson is a younger guy and a year younger than Milroe.
Looking at Milroe‘s statistics, they’re not great. He played the entire Texas A&M game when Bryce was out and went 12 of 19 for 111 yards, three touchdowns, and one pick. He did have 81 yards rushing though, with 17 attempts. Throughout the year, he had less than 300 yards passing with 53 attempts. But, as I mentioned, he had 260 yards rushing, including 77 yards against Arkansas. I don’t think Milroe is a quarterback. So, what do they do with Ty Simpson? He played in three games this year with just five attempts for 35 yards. I think they go with Milroe, but I’m not sure that guy is a quarterback. Maybe they’ll rush Ty Simpson into the starting position, that’s what I would do.
Let’s talk about Michigan. In 2020, they brought in Dan Villari, a three-star recruit, but he has since transferred to Syracuse. JJ was the only returning starter in this group of four that we’re talking about. In 2022, they brought in Jayden Denegal and Alex Orji, both three-star recruits. In 2023, they brought in zero quarterbacks. It seems like the 23 class was a little thin on quarterbacks. JJ is obviously the starter and we’ll see how these other guys filter out. I’m not super impressed with two three-stars in your 22 class and nobody in your 23 class.
For Ohio State, the 2020 class brought in CJ Stroud and Jack Miller. CJ went to the NFL and Jack transferred to Florida last year. In 2021, Kyle McCord is the five-star recruit and will be the starter. Quinn Ewers, a five-star recruit, transferred to Texas. In 2022, Devin Brown, a four-star recruit, and Lincoln Kienholz, a four-star recruit in 2023, will be competing for the starting job. But since Kyle has been there a year longer, it’s Kyle’s job to lose in my opinion.
That’s all I got for you today. Hit me up in the chat or in the comments and let me know what you guys think. You can also reach me at joe@thebuckeyecast.com. Let me know if you disagree or agree with what I’ve said. What’s Alabama going to do at quarterback? Talk to you later. Go Bucks!