Ohio State Buckeyes Coach Gets Blunt on QB Competition

An Ohio State Buckeyes coach has dropped a blunt statement on the team's quarterback competition.

From left, Ohio State Buckeyes quarterbacks Lincoln Kienholz (3), Julian Sayin (10) and Tavien St. Clair (9) drop back to pass during spring football practice at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center in Columbus on March 19, 2025. | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Ohio State Buckeyes have a huge question to answer at quarterback heading into 2025, as Will Howard has departed for the NFL.

While Julian Sayin is widely considered the favorite to win Ohio State's starting job under center, there is an open competition in camp, and quarterbacks coach Billy Fessler is being very diplomatic when discussing the battle.

“I think we’re a long way away from even talking about how close it is,” Fessler said, via Eleven Warriors. “Right now, those three guys are really just focused on getting better every single time they step in this building, in the meeting rooms or when they step on the field in practice.”

That's definitely some coach speak, but there is a kernel of truth to it. Yes, Sayin is No. 1 in the pecking order, but he has proven nothing just yet, as he threw a grand total of 12 passes during his freshman campaign this past year.

Sayin is facing a push from fellow signal-callers Lincoln Kienholz and Tavien St. Clair, the latter of whom is a five-star freshman himself. He may already be accruing some Heisman Trophy buzz, but that does not mean the starting job is automatically his.

Meanwhile, Fessler is now in his first year as Ohio State's quarterbacks coach after serving as an analyst for the team in 2024. He previously held a post as Akron's quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator between 2022 and 2023, so he certainly has experience in the field.

We'll see how Fessler—who played quarterback at Penn State—cultivates Sayin and the rest of the group in the coming months.

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