Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Julian Sayin is taking the reins for the first time as QB1 in Columbus, while former OSU commit Dylan Raiola is entering his second season at the helm of the Nebraska Cornhuskers' offense in Lincoln.
Raiola getting the chance to start for a Nebraska program that finally turned a corner and became bowl-eligible was what drove his decision to choose the Huskers. After all, Raiola could just transfer to the Georgia Bulldogs, or even Ohio State, if things don't work out under new Nebraska offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen.
If he chooses OSU while Sayin is still in a Buckeye uniform, Eleven Warriors' Dan Hope believes there'd be a QB competition right now.
"Had Dylan Raiola stuck with his original commitment as a high school recruit, he’d be competing to be Ohio State’s starting quarterback right now. Instead, he’s preparing for his second year as the starter at Nebraska," Hope wrote.
Raiola was the No. 2 quarterback in the 2024 recruiting class behind DJ Lagway. Sayin was No. 3.
13 spots in the overall recruiting rankings in any given class mean nothing. While Raiola fell just short of 3,000 yards and broke the freshman passing record, he threw 11 interceptions to 13 touchdowns.
Who knows what Sayin could've done in that scenario? Instead, he chose to learn from Will Howard firsthand what a leader looks like and got to be part of a College Football Playoff National Championship effort.
There are no indications Raiola is leaving Lincoln. If he did, he wouldn't likely choose a destination where he'd have to compete for the starting job.
That didn't have an effect on Sayin during his freshman season.
Credit to Raiola for jumping into the fire on a Matt Rhule-coached Cornhuskers team that has unrealistic expectations in Nebraska, but Sayin's journey is in a much better place to succeed under a head coach who sends QBs to the NFL every year and who now gets to wear a championship ring.