Ohio State quarterback Devin Brown talked with the media about his injuries last year, his competitive spirit and his desire to compete for the starting job in 2024.
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00:00 >> It was just something he felt like we needed for the team and
00:04 to push the quarterback room and push this offense.
00:08 >> Are you definitely gonna be here this fall or
00:10 is it too early to say anything definitively?
00:13 >> I've said it through and through, I'm a Buckeye and
00:15 I'm here to compete no matter what.
00:16 >> Why do you think people have a hard time believing that,
00:20 in this transfer portal in the NIO?
00:22 >> Honestly, I think people are cowards.
00:24 I think people have this thought in their own heads that I'm gonna leave and
00:28 I'm a quitter, but that's never been me.
00:30 I mean, these people live wherever in their mom's basement,
00:32 saying stuff about me and they don't know shit.
00:34 Excuse my language, but they don't know anything.
00:36 They don't know who I am.
00:36 They don't know who I've been.
00:38 And that's always who I've been.
00:39 >> Devin, how hard is it to keep that mentality when it seems like each time
00:43 you get a chance, something that's really out of your control,
00:46 and everyone else kind of gets it?
00:47 >> That's life.
00:48 I mean, it's always gonna be like that no matter what.
00:50 And so you can't control any of it.
00:51 All you can control is yourself and how you do it.
00:54 >> Devin, related to that though, is there something that you and
00:57 Mick and the training staff have been able to commit to this offseason to try to
01:01 help you strengthen your ankles, something you can do to prevent this?
01:03 >> Yeah, definitely.
01:04 There's been some work with that, especially in the training room and
01:07 with Sean and Solo and all those guys.
01:09 They've been on it with me.
01:10 And it just was like two freak deals.
01:12 It was just weird.
01:13 My cleat just got stuck in the ground both times.
01:15 And there's things that I've been able to do to strengthen my ankles again.
01:18 But yeah, it was just a freak deal.
01:20 >> So you're just chalking up to bad luck, really,
01:21 because I don't think you had issues in high school with the report, right?
01:23 >> No, yeah, no, I was very injury-free in high school.
01:28 Never really had any ankle problems or anything like that.
01:30 And then just two times where my cleats got stuck and got twisted around.
01:33 >> Does it come down to a deal, though,
01:36 when you get into practices this spring and in your career?
01:39 Is it like rubber, double taping the ankles?
01:42 Or how does this work to prevent?
01:43 >> Yeah, I used to never tape my ankles.
01:44 I didn't even tape them in high school.
01:46 But now they'll definitely be taped up and I'll have bigger cleats.
01:48 And it'll be as cautious as we can be.
01:52 >> Did you know it was gonna be a combo?
01:54 >> Yeah, I knew the exact pain, exactly what it was.
01:56 As soon as it happened, it looked like I ground my leg, but
01:59 I just knew exactly where it was.
02:01 >> So look here.
02:01 >> Bigger cleats, not smaller cleats?
02:03 >> No, the bigger linemen, thick around the ankles and everything, yeah,
02:06 try to get as much brace as possible.
02:08 >> The bigger shoe, not the bigger cleat itself, the bigger shoe.
02:11 >> Yeah, the ankle part.
02:12 I used to just wear the speed cleats, the cleats that the receivers were wearing.
02:15 But now they got me in some bigger ones.
02:17 >> What are your thoughts on Chip Kelly coming in?
02:19 Now you've been through Kevin Wilson, Brian Hartline,
02:22 you lived through the Bill O'Brien era.
02:24 >> Yeah. >> And now Chip Kelly.
02:25 What do you think of Chip Kelly coming in?
02:26 >> He's been great, he's been awesome.
02:28 I feel like I have a really good relationship with him.
02:29 He recruited me to UCLA when I was still coming out of Corner Canyon, so
02:32 we kinda already had that relationship, him and Coach Fry.
02:34 It was funny, I was talking with them.
02:35 I was sitting in their office in LA, telling them I wasn't gonna go there, and
02:39 then they both followed me here, so it was pretty funny.
02:41 But no, he's been great.
02:42 We've had a lot of meetings, and I love the system that he's brought in, and
02:45 the wording of everything, so it's been a good time.
02:46 >> I'm sure you know now, did you know last year at this time that Chip Kelly was
02:50 Ryan Day's mentor?
02:51 Would you have known that?
02:52 >> Yeah, yeah, definitely.
02:53 I mean, when I was getting recruited by both of them,
02:54 they both talked to me about each other before, so I knew that.
02:58 >> What stands out about Chip just in his interpersonal relationships with him?
03:02 You know what I mean?
03:03 How does he speak to you, so to speak?
03:05 >> Very laid back and wanting us to learn.
03:08 He's very teacher-orientated.
03:10 He wants us to learn and
03:11 really process everything without giving us the information, so it's been good.
03:14 >> And do you sense the quarterback's gonna have an even bigger role in
03:17 the running game with him?
03:19 And what's your sense on that?
03:20 >> I feel like it's gonna be pretty similar to how it was before.
03:23 I mean, we're always gonna have our reads, and
03:25 I think the offense is gonna be the offense.
03:26 >> Yeah, definitely.
03:27 Going through what you did last offseason,
03:29 you were high on the pile from really December to the season.
03:33 How do you think you'll do this year?
03:34 >> Yeah, for sure.
03:34 To be able to go through another quarterback competition like that has
03:37 definitely prepared me, and knowing what I messed up on or
03:40 what I could have done differently, it's definitely gonna be a huge plus for
03:42 the team. >> And
03:43 did Brian explain what maybe the rent distribution might be again?
03:47 >> No, we haven't talked about that at all, yeah.
03:50 >> Do you get a ton of comments from people who don't know what you're thinking?
03:53 Do you listen to that much, or do you try to just block it out?
03:56 >> No, I really don't listen to any of it.
03:59 People see me tweet stuff sometimes.
04:00 I'll go on and just tweet something, and that's it.
04:02 I'll just turn it off or delete it off my phone.
04:04 But I'll have my dad, my dad will send me stuff sometimes, like All Matter.
04:08 A family member will send me something, like, look at what this person said.
04:11 And at the end of the day, I just don't care.
04:13 I've never cared, good or bad, what somebody has to say about me.
04:15 >> So Devin, we've talked a lot about you now, but this time of year,
04:18 compared to last year, anything you can say?
04:20 >> I would say the biggest thing for
04:22 me this year has just been the leadership role that I've kind of fallen into and
04:25 worked my way into.
04:26 I felt like last year was still a little different coming off of being behind
04:29 CJ Stroud.
04:30 I didn't really know what it was truly like to be a leader.
04:34 And I felt like, obviously, I still had those traits to do that.
04:36 I just wasn't really exerting myself like that.
04:39 And I felt like this year now, I've been around the guys again for
04:41 another year, and guys have trusted me.
04:43 And I've seen what I've done in practice and
04:45 seen what I've done all year round.
04:47 So I feel like them knowing what I'm able to do,
04:50 it's just different now being me being able to lead.
04:52 >> You talked about consistency right before the coffee bowl.
04:54 >> Yeah. >> You felt like you were being
04:54 a lot more consistent in practice.
04:56 How can you kind of translate that now to the spring bowl?
04:58 >> The nice thing is that the offense isn't really different, and
05:03 it's all the same things.
05:05 And the game has slowed down a lot more for me.
05:07 So being able to go out there and
05:08 know exactly what's gonna go on out there, it'll definitely make it easier.
05:11 >> You've been through a quarterback battle.
05:13 Yeah, and I'm not trying to lead you down a bad path here, but
05:17 would you prefer to know at the end of the spring who the starting quarterback is?
05:20 I mean, based on what you went through last year, or does it matter?
05:24 >> I don't think it really matters at the end of the day.
05:26 I mean, if you're getting reps, that's all that matters, and
05:28 you're working with the guys.
05:29 Like how we did it last year, we were still taking one reps and two reps.
05:33 Like we were just working with everybody and
05:34 being able to build a relationship with everybody.
05:36 It didn't really feel like it was anything that harmed us.
05:39 >> Getting that start though in the cotton ball,
05:40 what did that do for you from a confidence standpoint?
05:42 Obviously, it didn't end, the first half didn't end the way you wanted it to.
05:46 >> Yeah. >> But what did that do for
05:48 you from a confidence standpoint, and
05:50 knowing they put their trust in you, you understand what I'm saying?
05:52 >> Yeah, yeah, for sure.
05:53 I mean, it was nice to know that there's nothing behind you.
05:56 Like you can just go out and play free.
05:58 Like there's really no stress on the fact that you might not have a job or
06:01 you're gonna lose a job or anything.
06:02 It was just go out and play and be you.
06:04 Like that's why you came here, it was because of your playing ability.
06:06 >> Have you and Will talked about how you're gonna handle this, or
06:08 is it just happening?
06:10 >> It's just gonna happen, yeah.
06:11 >> You mentioned the two ankle injuries,
06:13 there was also obviously a bigger injury last spring that kept you out of the spring game.
06:17 >> Yeah. >> Are you still in a place where
06:19 you're like, I still haven't been able to show people what I am, what I can do?
06:23 >> For sure, I mean, I don't think, I've had a few reps here and
06:26 there at moments that I didn't think were anything that really defined who I am.
06:29 >> So Devin, we've talked a lot about the physical things that you've been through,
06:33 but give us an idea mentally.
06:35 How hard has this been for you to kind of be up and down and
06:38 working through injuries you didn't see coming and
06:40 trying to grind your way through all this?
06:43 >> Yeah, it was definitely tough.
06:44 I mean, there was long nights of having to battle through all that and
06:48 it was definitely a hard time for me.
06:50 But especially like building up into that Penn State week when we were slowly building
06:55 that whole goal line package and building it into more and more.
06:57 And then for the injury to happen, just felt like it was all stripped away from me.
07:00 And then the same thing happens in the combo, I just work really hard to do all
07:03 that, and then for it to be stripped away from me, it just feels like it was all for
07:06 naught and felt like a waste of time almost.
07:08 But at the same time, I cherish that moment and
07:11 I'm thankful for that moment cuz it's who I am today now.
07:13 >> So I don't mean to be coy about it, but how are you better for
07:16 having gone through all of that?
07:17 Like how have those mental challenges pushed you to be a better player?
07:21 >> It's been night and day for me.
07:23 I mean, being a 19 and 20 year old kid through the season and
07:26 going through three different injuries and all these different emotions.
07:29 I feel like I'm a different person now, I'm a different man now.
07:31 I mean, I'm another year older and I've been in the system for another year.
07:34 I've been in college football for another year and so
07:37 I feel like it's only gonna be better for me from here on out.
07:39 >> How close do you think you were to winning the job last year?
07:42 >> I was very close.
07:45 I mean, I felt like at one point I was ahead for a while.
07:48 And then things just kinda went here and there and just kinda slowly fell off, but