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Ryan Day forced to take on transfer he'd otherwise never consider to check a box heading into 2025

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Ian Valentino | Last updated May 20, 2025 4:18 PM ET

There are times when good intentions can be wasted when there aren't good solutions to a problem. The Ohio State Buckeyes lost backup quarterback Devin Brown to Cal earlier this offseason, but internal options in Julian Sayin and Lincoln Kienholz meant the team didn't need to find its next Will Howard in the transfer portal.

However, with only three scholarship quarterbacks available to him entering summer camps and the fall, Day was still short one passer of his preferred total of options. He wanted a fourth quarterback to mentor true freshman Tavien St. Clair and be a camp arm.

Eli Brickhandler will be that option in 2025 after he decided on transferring to the Buckeyes this week.

OH-IO #OhioStateFootball pic.twitter.com/OkUvHFcdcZ
— Eli Brickhandler (@EliBrickhandler) May 20, 2025

Brickhandler will almost surely never see the field for the Buckeyes outside of being a practice option to make sure everyone's arm doesn't fall off due to overusage. The 6-foot-2, 195-pounder is a graduate transfer from Houston Christian. It's easy to see why he'd make the move up to Ohio State, but it's more questionable for Ryan Day.

Brickhandler has an awesome name but awful stats. The former North Carolina A&T quarterback was a platoon starter at Houston Christian last year. He completed only 49.4% of his 77 passes for 557 yards, four touchdowns, and two interceptions.

Adding 264 yards and four touchdowns on 63 carries (including sacks) helps bolster his resume slightly. Overall, though, this is a player who won't be an asset for the program when it comes to gameday over his two remaining seasons of eligibility.

It's hard to say Day should've found someone more impressive when the spring market was embarrasingly bad, and the Buckeyes seem set for the next three-plus seasons at the position. But this was really just a matter of meeting a quota for Day.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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