Yes, Ohio State Fans Should be Worried About Julian Sayin

Ohio State Buckeyes fans should definitely be concerned about Julian Sayin heading into the 2025 college football season.

Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Julian Sayin (10) takes a snap during spring football practice at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center on March 17, 2025. / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Ohio State Buckeyes are heading into 2025 with a significant question at quarterback, as Will Howard is departing for the NFL after leading the team to a national championship.

Ohio State has numerous options that it can try under center, but after the season concluded, it was looking like Julian Sayin was the clear-cut favorite to fill Howard's shoes next year.

Heck, Sayin was even garnering Heisman Trophy buzz earlier in the offseason, and that was after throwing a grand total of 12 passes in 2024.

The former five-star recruit is immensely talented and has all the potential in the world, but the problem is that he hasn't looked great in spring practice.

As a matter of fact, Lincoln Kienholz, by all accounts, has been outplaying Sayin, and head coach Ryan Day recently said the two signal-callers were "neck and neck" in the race for the starting job.

That is not what Buckeyes fans wanted to hear as they prepare to watch their team defend its national title. The expectation was that Sayin—a true dual threat—would be able to step into the starting role and dominate the Big Ten.

And you know what? Sayin may very well do that one day, but as of right now, the pressure may be starting to get to the 19-year-old, and that's worrisome.

Does it mean that California native won't ever materialize? Of course not, but it does signal that it may take Sayin just a bit longer than most initially anticipated.

This isn't a major indictment on Sayin. He's just a kid, after all. But perhaps he wasn't as ready as most thought, and maybe Kienholz really will be taking snaps for Ohio State next fall?

All things considered, Sayin is probably still the favorite. He doesn't have to outplay Kienholz by much to win the starting role. Deep down, Day surely wants the youngster to be his quarterback in 2025. But he also can't risk ruining Sayin for the future.

Sayin could still be great, but the process is not going to be as easy as Buckeyes fans hoped.

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