3 Air Noland transfer destinations that can benefit from Ryan Day's QB dysfunction

Ryan Day has a massive quarterback problem. He joined Urban Meyer’s staff as a quarterback coach and since Meyer resigned and Day took over, Ohio State’s most glaring problem has been at quarterback. 

And no, C.J. Stroud doesn’t count, he was part of Urban Meyer’s recruiting class. Though if you want to give Day the benefit of the doubt with Stroud, it’s fallen off tremendously since then. If he was truly a quarterback guru, he should have been able to figure it out. 

Yet since Stroud, Kyle McCord has come and gone – and was the passing leader in all of college football this past season – Will Howard lost to Michigan in a worse performance than McCord, and now two quarterbacks have entered the portal. 

It’s a nightmarish way to end a season that just can’t go right for Day. The only thing that could possibly make it worse is if he loses to Tennessee this weekend in the first round of the College Football Playoff. 

Air Noland has officially declared for the transfer portal. He will have plenty of options to look at and most of which will be a better situation than what Ohio State is in right now. Here’s a look at where Noland could land that could immediately grow because of it.

3. As Alabama prepares for post-Jalen Milroe era, Air Noland could land in Tuscaloosa

Jalen Milroe hasn’t officially declared for the NFL Draft yet, but all signs are pointing toward that. If he does, Alabama will certainly look into the portal as a quarterback battle looms on who’s taking over for Milroe. 

Julian Sayin transferred in from Bama, partly because of the logjam the Crimson Tide have. That said, Noland could come in as a better prospect, especially with a new coach since he was last recruited by Alabama. 

Noland will most likely land a big school. He was a four-star prospect according to 247sports. The Crimson Tide recruited him out of high school before he chose Ohio State. Alabama has Ty Simpson and Austin Mack as returners and a five-star prospect coming in as well. 

It’s likely Noland finds a less crowded quarterback room, but it’s possible he will try his hand at an SEC powerhouse. 

2. If Brent Venables can’t land John Mateer, he could look to Air Noland as a second option

Brent Venables added former Washington State offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle soon after the season ended. He hoped it would be a package deal to get Cougars quarterback John Mateer. 

Mateer has yet to make his decision on where he’ll land as Washington State made a generous offer to keep him. So if Venables doesn’t land Mateer, Noland could be another option he pursues. 

Noland could be a good option for the Sooners and he’d be a new face to pair with a new offensive coordinator. Venables is looking for a much better showing next season and landing Noland could do just that. 

At Washington State, Arbuckle and the Cougars had an explosive offense, specifically in the passing game. Mateer threw for over 3,100 yards with 29 passing touchdowns this year. While the Cougars faltered toward the end of the season, their offense was on point. 

Arbuckle could figure out a way to get the best out of Noland just like he did with Mateer. And the good thing is Noland has four years of eligibility left so he has more than enough room to grow. 

1. Miami could make a big splash in the transfer portal as they look to replace Cam Ward and Air Noland could be the answer

Noland was recruited by Miami out of college, but the Hurricanes obviously went diving into the portal for Cam Ward. This could be the chance to get the guy that got away from them. 

There have been comparisons of Noland to Michael Penix Jr. though because we haven’t really seen him play yet, that could be because he’s a left-handed slinger with a lot of potential. 

Either way, if he is similar to Penix, he could develop into a really good quarterback. And the Hurricanes were spoiled with Cam Ward this past season. They’ll have to get another good option if they opt to go into the portal. 

If Miami went after Noland, it could be a win-win for a player that wants a chance to start immediately and gets a contending team a replacement for a Heisman finalist.