When Will Howard left OSU for the NFL, Julian Saying seemed an obvious choice to start under center. Even Howard, who spent a year with Sayin, believes that Julian is the one. “Now it’s his time,” Howard backed the 19-year-old. Bud Elliot of CBS has also backed Sayin for the prized position. He even rated the 19-year-old slightly better than Howard, who won the championship for the Buckeyes last season. “He’s got a very quick release. He’s got a special quick release. He’s very accurate with the ball. I think he’s got probably a stronger arm than Will Howard,” the analyst explained.

However, as we come close to the regular season, the QB room at Ohio State is not about just Julian Sayin. Earlier this week, the Buckeyes HC also confirmed that “It’s a two-horse race.” Wait, but hadn’t Day already locked in Sayin as his starter?” Yes, and no. Yes—on a technical basis. See, Sayin is extremely skilled, and there is zero doubt about it. Take his high school career alone: 7,824 yards passing and 85 freaking touchdowns. The former Bama’s QB is a monster, and he is pulling all of that despite being on the short end of the lease—aka, his height.

Standing at just 6’1″, Julian Sayin might be the shortest quarterback Ryan Day has ever coached—but don’t let that fool you. What some call a “height problem,” Sayin has turned into his secret weapon. He zips through reads, finds tight windows, and threads throws with sniper-like precision. So, at this point, Sayin seems to be leading the QB1 race. But here is the kicker: Apart from the 19-year-old, the Buckeyes also have a dual-threat monster, Lincoln Kienholz, in their QB room.

4,857 yards as a senior at Riggs High—but that isn’t even the best part. Out of the 4k+ yards, 1,435 were on rushing and drove his team to a state championship. Recently, during the QB summit, Kienholz was among the three QBs who stole the limelight with QB expert Jordan Palmer.

Kienholz has been grinding in the Buckeyes’ system since 2022, patiently waiting his turn. While Sayin might be the “best pure thrower” in the room, Lincoln Kienholz is the “dual-threat monster” you can’t ignore. He runs the ball like his scholarship’s on the line every snap, and honestly, that explosiveness might just tilt the scales in his favor for QB1.

Even if Day has already started building his arsenal around Sayin, with WR commit Kayden Dixon-Wyatt announcing, “I know where home is”— best believe, OSU HC’s plan to build another pass-heavy comp for the 2025 war could go right out the window.

Remember: Howard was extremely close to losing his QB1 job to Devin Brown. The gap between the skill levels of the 2 QBs only increased during the May, June, and July camp. Best believe the same thing could happen with the Sayin x Kienholz debate. Whoever manages to copy Will Howard’s homework the best and ace the ultimate test in August? That’s your new QB1 in Columbus.

And that decision can’t come late—because right out of the gates, the Buckeyes are staring down a Top-10 clash. Day needs his guy ready from snap one.

Texas Longhorns’ revenge

“And then I sit down with each player and say, ‘Here’s where you’re at, okay, here’s where you can improve.’ Even a guy who’s got straight A’s, he’s all-conference. He’s this, he’s that. Well, how are we going to get better? How are we going to improve?” Out of everything the electric 2024 college football season gave us, Steve Sarkisian’s rise and the Longhorns’ sudden takeover might just top the list… right?

Sark stepped onto the field with a stacked dual-QB setup and steamrolled just about everyone—or at least, that’s the narrative folks love to push. But take the “glazing” off, and the reality is a bit different. Sark never fully proved his mettle. Ewers, while solid when healthy, still missed some key throws. The one true bright spot? Well, Arch Manning. And now, with Arch officially starting as the Horns’ QB1 this season, both fans and analysts finally have a reason to be genuinely optimistic.

But then you kick off the season against the Buckeyes. And as much as that’s a problem for Ryan Day, it’s just a bigger challenge for Steve Sarkisian. While one has to hold on to their “National Champs” hat, the other has to prove their worth.

With the 2025 season knocking, both Day and Sark had ample time to rebuild. And whoever did the better job probably ends up getting the Game 1 W… A top 10 game to start the season—d-mn it is a good year to be a football fan.