After four weeks of toiling hard and giving their best in spring ball, Ohio State has finally wrapped up its spring practices. The defending national champions looked well-oiled throughout the practices, and we got to see glimpses of the training in the 15 sessions they played. It was not only a chance for the true freshman prospects to seal their spots but also make a statement that they are ready to deliver. However, the Buckeyes finished their spring ball with the Scarlet-Gray game, and Ryan Day might be in more of a dilemma now.

Will Howard had departed Ohio State’s camp after leading the team to an incredible natty run and finally lifting the trophy. This was a season where Howard produced more than 4,000 passing yards and notched up 226 rushing yards at a passing efficiency of 73.1%. However, now that Will Howard has gone to pastures anew. Three QBs have declared their individual intentions to seal that QB1 spot. Those would be Julian Sayin, Lincoln Kienholz, and Tavien St Clair. However, while Lincoln Kienholz was still playing quite decently in his spring ball game, Julian Sayin topped it with an incredible performance.

Both the QBs split reps and threw for the first and second-team offenses. Kienholz had a good showing as he completed 113 of the 17 passes he attempted for 164 yards, and two of the passes resulted in touchdowns, too. Mylan Graham caught Kienholz’s pass early and ran a 51-yard slant, gliding effortlessly from the midfield to the end zone. The red-shirt freshman, on the other hand, managed to notch up 16 of the 25 passes he attempted for 192 yards, leading to a touchdown. Sayin led his team to win against Gray’s defense by 50-31. After the performance, Ryan Day had words of praise for the QB.

“He’s had some good days, he’s had some days he’s learning from,” Day said. “A big trait of great quarterbacks is they’re resilient, they keep coming back and they keep learning. If you keep making mistakes over and over again, not good. But I think all the guys have been that way this spring. But good to see him respond the way he did and rebound from a couple of practices early on.“.

Both the QBs are incredible in their own right, with both having their own strengths and weaknesses. Sayin, a 2024 class five-star QB, ranked 2nd in his position nationally at the time and had some of the best stats in his high school to back him up. The QB threw for 2,769 yards and 34 touchdowns in 2021 and followed it up by throwing for 2,708 yards and 27 TDs. Kienholz, on the other hand, has been in the system longer and also produced 3,442 passing yards for 46 touchdowns in his senior year at high school. He was named USA Today’s national athlete of the year.

Ryan Day’s QB dilemma is sorted now?

The third QB who often gets ignored, Tavien St. Clair, also threw in the spring game, although for a third-team offense. The QB completed 11 of his 16 passes and notched up 126 yards with one touchdown. The true freshman QB also threw the only interception of the game, which was picked up by another freshman, Faheem Delane. Other players also had some incredible performances.

For instance, Bo Jackson, the freshman RB, rushed for 86 yards on 12 carries, scoring a touchdown. Jackson also scored the game’s third touchdown with a short run into the end zone. The game gave a lot to ponder for the Buckeyes fans as more than 40k people attended the spring game. And Julian Sayin delivered in front of a massive crowd that looks to seal his QB spot. Still, there may be a change.

Lincoln Kienholz was the first choice for Ryan Day as he started the Scarlett offense along with RB James Peoples, WR Bryson Rodgers, and TE Jelani Thurman, among others. This alone tells you that Ryan Day can switch up his QB whenever he feels it needs to. So, there’s nothing written on stone yet, as there are almost 6 months till the actual season rolls in.