Air Noland, a highly anticipated freshman recruit from Ohio State, chose the Buckeyes primarily because of Ryan Day’s track record of developing quarterbacks, which includes the recent first-round selection of C.J. Stroud. After his first Ohio State spring, Noland’s father stated that his son will remain where he is and trust the process. Noland, a member of the all-star team, is engaged and prepared to keep battling for reps after spending his first spring at a top program in the nation.

“My phone is ringing, he has a large family here in Atlanta, we hear the rumors, of course. Regarding that matter, I’ve already received about forty-five calls here in Atlanta,” Prentiss Noland Jr. stated on Sunday night’s Juck on Bucks podcast. “You know what I mean? Hearing that is not good for a father. Thirty minutes ago, I asked my son over the phone, “How was practice and what did y’all go over?” You must keep in mind that I am also a coach. I coach and am a father. Sometimes I have to tell him to get off social media by giving him a call. “This and that, pay no attention to it.”

“Air is in Columbus, just to quell the rumors. Nothing is wrong. Nothing is wrong. Did he experience some homesickness? Yes, when he first arrived in Ohio, he felt homesick. He departs just like any other typical adolescent.”

Noland was rated as the seventh-best quarterback in the 2024 signing class and as the 61st overall prospect. Through the transfer portal, Ohio State also acquired Julian Sayin, a freshman signee from Alabama, and Will Howard of Kansas State. Sayin, who at least made him consider vying for the position, is ahead of redshirt freshman Lincoln Kienholz and Noland in the competition for the starting position, which is contested by Howard and Devin Brown. Despite the additional chairs in the quarterback room, Day stated earlier this month that the Buckeyes coaching staff was “excited about the guys we have.”