Ohio State Coach Ryan Day Urged to Make Critical QB Decision

The Ohio State Buckeyes have a quarterback competition ongoing in camp, and head coach Ryan Day has remained very cryptic on the situation.

Day has refused to name a starter, nor has he shed much light on a potential favorite. Julian Sayin is widely expected to win the job over Lincoln Kienholz, although Sayin's pedestrian showing in spring practice opened the door to a serious battle.

A former five-star prospect, it would be a tremendous disappointment if Sayin wasn't ultimately under center come Week 1 against the Texas Longhorns, but Day has remained steadfast in his decision not to unveil a clear-cut winner just yet.

Ryan Stano of Scarlet & Game, however, feels that Day should just bite the bullet and name Sayin the starter now as not to further muddy things in Columbus.

"At this point, there isn't much reason for Day not to name the starter. It looks like he's trying to motivate Sayin to show him a little bit more, similar to what he did with C.J. Stroud back in 2021," Stano wrote. "Day mentioned that this battle is similar to the Dwayne Haskins/Joe Burrow battle back in 2018. This battle is not nearly as high-level as that. Kienholz is certainly a good player, but Sayin was a five-star quarterback recruit for a reason."

Julian Sayin is almost certainly the guy for Ohio State

Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Julian Sayin (10) takes a snap during football training camp. | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

For as much concern there has been about Sayin's readiness to take on the starting role this coming season, chances are, he will be the one taking snaps in the season opener on Aug. 30.

That does not necessarily mean that Sayin will be foolproof. His job will not be set in stone for the entirety of the campaign. If he struggles, Kienholz will be waiting. But you have to figure that Sayin is that the top of Day's depth chart, even if he won't admit it just yet.

Sayin transferred over from Alabama and threw a grand total of 12 passes during his debut campaign with Ohio State last season. Will Howard himself said that Sayin was next up following Howard's jump to the NFL, so we will see if the youngster can live up to his lofty expectations.

Julian Sayin is almost certainly the guy for Ohio State

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