The Ohio State football team will have a new starting quarterback this season. Will Howard gave Ohio State the best possible season, leading them to a national championship. As he heads to the NFL, Ryan Day has to pick a new quarterback who can lead the team to another deep playoff run.
Julian Sayin was the leader in the clubhouse to start Spring practice. He is really battling Lincoln Kienholz for the starting job. While Tavien St. Clair is a really good player, he needs more time to learn the offense and learn how to play in college before he can be considered.
Kienholz had a really good performance over Sayin last weekend during Student Appreciation Day. That made it seem like the two quarterbacks are much closer than we thought. Day essentially confirmed that on Monday during his press conference.
Ryan Day claims that both Ohio State quarterbacks are close in QB battle
Day mentioned that Kienholz and Sayin are "neck-and-neck". It seems that Kienholz has done enough to seriously be considered for this job when it's all said and done.
Ryan Day says there’s been “improvement across the board” at quarterback, but “there’s nobody that’s that much further ahead of everyone else right now,” so the competition continues.
— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) April 7, 2025
The Ohio State Buckeyes need to have a quarterback who can get the ball out to the awesome playmakers that they have. With Jeremiah Smith being the best receiver in college football, Ohio State just needs someone who can get the ball out of their hands and get it to Smith.
It sounds like Day feels comfortable with whoever they decide to give the starting job to at this point. Of course, any decision won't be made until the Fall. That's when they will make the firm decision on who will win the starting job. Kienholz has currently closed the gap in a way not many thought he could.
The Spring Game will be a big test for both quarterbacks. That will be the first time Sayin will be getting first-time reps in a stadium full of fans. Kienholz did in the Cotton Bowl against Missouri a couple of years ago, and that didn't go well. It sounds like he's learned from that experience and has developed into a solid player.