Coming out of high school, Devin Brown wanted one thing: to compete.
The 2022 quarterback’s desire for competition drove him to decommit from USC before landing with Ohio State Dec. 1 and into a quarterback room filled with top-level talent. Joining 2021 Heisman Trophy finalist C.J. Stroud and former 2021 four-star Kyle McCord on the Buckeyes’ depth chart, Brown faces an uphill climb for playing time this season and down the line.
Brown even committed to Ohio State days before 2021 five-star quarterback Quinn Ewers ultimately decided to enter the transfer portal Dec. 3. On his decision to enter a room filled with prolific passers, Brown cited his desire to fight for a spot on the field.
“I was already committed before he left and so I wanted to come and compete with (Ewers),” Brown said. “I wanted to go out and compete against him, that’s my goal.”
Arriving in Columbus in January as an early enrollee, Brown was joined by a pair of his newest targets in four-star receivers Kyion Grayes and Caleb Burton.
Like Brown, Grayes was initially expected to wear the jersey of a Pac-12 program out of high school, committing to Arizona in 2020 before flipping to the Buckeyes in February 2021. Grayes played in only five games as a senior at Chandler High School, hauling in 21 catches for 388 yards and four touchdowns.
Burton followed the more traditional route of players like Garrett Wilson and Jaxon Smith-Njigba, following the recent Texas-to-Ohio State pipeline set by his predecessors. Like Wilson, Burton closed out his high school career at Lake Travis High School.
Although the new Buckeyes just arrived in Columbus, Grayes said he’s been impressed with what he’s seen from his new quarterback in workouts and throwing sessions.
“Devin’s a great quarterback, he throws some great balls. Me and him have been catching almost every other day,” Grayes said. “Devin’s a great person and he’s fun to be around. What more could you ask for?”
Burton echoed that sentiment, saying that Brown throws the ball so hard that it “kind of hurt to catch.”
“It’s beautiful. He comes out, it looks effortless,” Burton said. “He can throw it far, fast.”
While Burton and Grayes raved about Brown’s throwing ability, Brown was also complementary of his new targets and their prowess as receivers.
Brown referred to Burton as “electric” and pointed to his catching ability as a reason that he’s excited to play with him.
“He has a big frame and catch radius,” Brown said. “He’s so smooth and he’s just so twitchy.”
Grayes and Brown had history before landing in Columbus, as both played multiple years of high school football in Arizona.
Brown transferred to Corner Canyon High School in Utah for his senior season, but he said that he and Grayes have still had a bond from their times in Arizona.
“He’s just so smooth in and out of his routes and he’s super smart,” Brown said. “He always knows every little detail he can see.”
The Buckeyes will also be adding the services of receivers Kaleb Brown and Kojo Antwi in the summer, inserting another pair of four stars into Brian Hartline’s room.
As Brown looks to forge a connection with his new targets, he said he’s excited to get rolling with the quartet of freshman receivers.
“They’re some freaks really. I had some good dudes in high school, had really good dudes that were going to play Division I football as well. But, when you go into Ohio State, it’s like wow, there’s a reason why they’re at Ohio State,” Brown said. “They’re super smart players too. They understand where they got to be and what their different timings are.”
