The Ohio State football team is having a quarterback battle for the first time in two years. While it's the third straight year that they will have a new starter, Will Howard knew he was going to win the job when he transferred in, so there wasn't really a competition for the job.
This season, there is a three-way battle for the job. Julian Sayin, Tavien St. Clair, and Lincoln Kienholz are all battling for the honor of being the next starter of the Ohio State Buckeyes. Ryan Day is letting them battle for the job by giving them all a chance to win it.
Early on in Spring practice, Sayin and Kienholz are splitting the first-team reps. That's expected since St. Clair is just a true freshman. Sayin is the favorite to win the job since he has been on the team for a year and has the most talent on the roster at this point, but that doesn't mean it's a foregone conclusion.
The Ohio State football team won't decide on a starting QB until the Fall
Despite Sayin being the favorite to win the job, he likely won't be announced as the starter until the Fall. Whoever wins the job won't be named the guy until a couple of weeks into Fall camp. That's how Day has usually done it since he has been the head coach.
Day won't rush into anything. He likes to see his quarterbacks be consistent before he names them as the starter. That's what he is looking for from Sayin. Consistency in the Spring will give him a lead as the Buckeyes head into the summer and the Fall.
It would take a lot of pure talent for St. Clair to win the job as a true freshman. He just starts so far behind the eight-ball. The last day-one starter for the Buckeyes was Art Schlichter back in the 1980s. It's just not something that really happens for Ohio State.