Ohio State has named Julian Sayin its starting quarterback.
After eight months of competition between Sayin and Lincoln Kienholz, Buckeyes coach Ryan Day said Monday that Sayin, a five-star recruit who originally signed with Alabama in the Class of 2024, will start when the No. 3 Buckeyes open the season against Arch Manning and No. 1 Texas on Aug. 30.
“Just win, baby, find a way to win. If it’s 14-13 or 65-64, we have to find a way to win,” Day said of expectations for Sayin. “We aren’t going to worry about the what-ifs; we’re going to let this thing fly and find a way to be 1-0 after that Saturday night.”
This battle came to an end around the same time as last year’s competition between Will Howard and Devin Brown, with Day publicly declaring Howard the starter last Aug. 15. Before Sayin takes the opening snap against the Longhorns, here are a few thoughts on Ohio State’s decision:
Is the decision surprising?
Most people assumed Sayin would be the starting quarterback this season, so the result of the competition isn’t surprising. The timing isn’t far off, either.
Last year, Ohio State named Howard the starting quarterback in the middle of August, before the second scrimmage. This time, Day kept with a similar timeline, but the announcement didn’t come until after the second scrimmage.
That gave Day more time to evaluate his two young quarterbacks in game-like scenarios. Sayin played just 27 snaps in four games in mop-up duty as a freshman last year, while Kienholz hasn’t thrown a pass since being pressed into duty in a Cotton Bowl loss to Missouri at the end of the 2023 season.
Eventually, Day landed on Sayin, who brings higher upside because of his elite arm talent. Day has kept the details of the quarterback battle close to the vest for much of the offseason, but when watching the two, it was hard not to be impressed by Sayin’s talent. The Carlsbad, Calif., product was the top-ranked quarterback in the 2024 class for a reason.
The biggest question for Sayin was his consistency, as it would be for any player who’s attempted just 12 college passes. In spring and preseason practices that reporters were able to observe, we got to see Sayin show off some impressive high points mixed in with some lows. Still, according to Day, Sayin’s consistency has been impressive during camp.
The 6-foot-1, 208-pound Sayin doesn’t have a big frame, but he’s accurate, and when his feet are in the right place and he’s on time, he is very good.
Sayin, who is in his second year with the program, winning the job isn’t an indictment of Kienholz, who’s in his third year; the decision is about going with the player who has the higher long-term upside.
Making the decision now gives Ohio State two weeks to prepare for Texas with its starting quarterback known, as opposed to rotating every period in practice. That’s an ideal scenario.
“In a game like this, you have to prepare, get the reps with the ones (first team) and be the best on the first game of the year,” Day said. “Each of these reps become valuable as you get closer to the game. We wanted to make sure the guy starting is getting the majority of the reps with the ones.”
What does this mean for the future at QB?
Ohio State made the right decision over a year ago to bring in Sayin, who left Alabama after Nick Saban retired, despite having four quarterbacks with Air Noland, Brown, Kienholz and Howard at the time.
Adding Sayin gave the Buckeyes another five-star recruit who could be developed for the future after Howard came in for just one season. Ohio State has since lost Brown (Cal) and Noland (South Carolina) in the transfer portal, but this situation still worked out. With Sayin, it feels like Ohio State is back to its roots of promoting from within and developing (Sayin may have been a transfer, but he did so before ever taking a college snap).
In an ideal world, Sayin will have at least two years as Ohio State’s starting quarterback before Day turns the reins over to five-star freshman Tavien St. Clair, who should be next up after showing off his arm strength throughout the offseason.
Ohio State already has a 2026 commit in Luke Fahey for next year, as well.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Kienholz plays this season in specific packages, but even if he transfers in the winter, the Buckeyes are in good hands planning for the future from within, as opposed to paying more in the portal. In the revenue share era, if you can save money paying your players, as opposed to overpaying in the portal, it’s a major win.
What’s next for Ohio State in camp?
Now that Ohio State has its quarterback situation figured out, it’s time to finalize what the offense around Sayin will look like.
The wide receiver and tight end positions seem to be locked in, barring an injury, but the offensive line and running back rotation have yet to be set in stone.
The assumption at running back is that James Peoples will start, and West Virginia transfer C.J. Donaldson will be the second man in the rotation, but position coach Carlos Locklyn has not announced that. The Buckeyes likely won’t make that public until the opener against Texas on Aug 30, though it would be a surprise if anybody jumped those two in the depth chart.
As for the offensive line, that’s a different situation. Ohio State isn’t working with a lack of bodies as it has in past years. The Buckeyes have a plethora of rotation options that they are working through, especially at tackle. Ohio State is still deciding who will start between Austin Siereveld and transfers Ethan Onianwa (Rice) and Phillip Daniels (Minnesota), and it seems like there will be a rotation, at least at right tackle, to start the season.
(Photo: Adam Cairns / Columbus Dispatch / USA Today Network via Imagn Images)
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