COLUMBUS — After narrowly losing out on the starting job in fall camp, Devin Brown is in line to make his long-awaited debut as Ohio State’s QB1 when the Buckeyes take on Missouri in the Cotton Bowl on Dec. 29.

Brown and Kyle McCord were locked in a hotly-contested battle for much of August before McCord was named the starter for the season-opener at Indiana. Now, McCord’s surprising departure to the transfer portal last week after helping Ohio State to an 11-1 record has cleared the path for Brown to showcase his skillset on a big stage and, possibly, make an early bid to lead the Buckeyes next season.

Head coach Ryan Day has yet to make an official announcement on his starting quarterback for the Cotton Bowl, but Brown indicated he fully expects to start while meeting with the media on Tuesday.

“I’m super excited,” Brown said. “I wish the best for Kyle. That’s one of my closest friends, and I hope he goes and does big things. But then again, I’m excited to go play and finally show what I can do and have fun with this team.”

As Day alluded to in the days leading up to the season opener, Brown was inserted into the Indiana game early but ultimately saw just one series as Day opted to ride with McCord in a clunky, uninspiring offensive performance. Brown saw more time the following week in a 35-7 win over Youngstown State, but Day announced McCord as the permanent starter following the game.

Brown’s playing time became sparse afterward, although he was utilized in a red zone package at Purdue and the following week in a top-10 home matchup against Penn State when he suffered an ankle injury that sidelined him for several games. Brown never saw the field again but now figures to do so without concern of being measured against McCord.

“All year, I’ve prepared like I was the starter,” Brown said. “It’s definitely different knowing you’re getting a lot more reps because it’s not split up or anything like that. There’s nothing to look over my shoulder for or anything. I can just go out there and have fun and play my game.”

Brown said he’s experiencing no lingering effects from the ankle injury and is back to full participation in workouts, although the feel of those workouts has naturally evolved with his elevation on the depth chart.

“They’ve had to change just because it went from Kyle being the guy to me having to step up as a leader again and gain the trust back of these guys and show them I’m still the leader I was in the summer. It’s good getting back in there,” Brown said.

With so much going on with the roster since Ohio State’s loss to Michigan last month, including transfers and looming decisions about the NFL Draft, Brown said it’s imperative to keep everyone together and dialed in on beating Missouri over the next couple of weeks.

“There’s a lot of people having those individual thoughts, so having to be that glue and kind of bring everybody back together is my main focus right now,” he said.

Although Brown may be focused on rallying his team, the individual opportunity that’s presented itself is not lost on him, and he expects the Cotton Bowl to be a “coming-out party.”

“I’m pumped,” he said. “I can’t believe my first start is going to be in the Cotton Bowl. It’s a big stage against a really good team. It’s a top-10 matchup, and I’m just really excited to go out there and show what I can do.”

Reach Dillon Davis at 740-413-0904. Follow him on Twitter @DillonDavis56.