The Ohio State football program is still trying to figure out who the starting quarterback will be for this season. Julian Sayin and Lincoln Kienholz are the two who are fighting for the job. Ryan Day hasn't revealed who the starter will be yet, and refuses to put an official timetable on it now.
During every quarterback battle that Day has overseen, he has wanted to see some consistency from one of the quarterbacks before he names the starter. He has said that he would rather someone go out and get the job than for him just hand it to a guy for being safe.
Sayin looks like he is the favorite at this point, but Day refuses to name him as the starter yet. With the Buckeyes taking on Texas in just two and a half weeks, the Buckeyes should name Sayin the starter now in order to end any idea of a quarterback controversy.
Ryan Day needs to name Julian Sayin as the starting quarterback for the Ohio State football team
While Kienholz has the athleticism advantage between the two quarterbacks, Sayin has the better arm. He can make all of the necessary throws, and he isn't unathletic in his own right. He has shown the ability to escape the pocket and get some yards on his own, even if it's not to the same level Kienholz can.
By all reports coming out of Fall camp, Sayin continues to be the more accurate thrower of the ball. That is the most important thing for the Ohio State Buckeyes, especially when they have Jeremiah Smith, Carnell Tate, Brandon Inniss, and Max Klare to throw the ball to.
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. 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. Nick Saban wanted him as part of the future for a reason. It would be an all-time shocker if the Buckeyes trotted out Kienholz as the Week 1 starter against the Longhorns.
Ohio State will take on number-one-ranked Texas in Week 1.