Even though the Buckeyes hired Ryan Day as their head coach, the 46-year-old was not enough to end their national championship drought. I mean, he took them to the National Championship in 2022 as well, but only to face a close defeat against the Bulldogs. With Day at the helm, your defense is already ticked but something was still lacking that was pushing Ohio State away from silverware each season. McCord, CJ Stroud, Justin Fields, and who not? The Buckeyes HC was not getting THE QB he needed until last year when he finally found his QB in Kansas.

“I saw something in him, a football IQ intelligence. I saw him play on film at Kansas State and win championships and win big games and be able to make an impact with his feet but also throw with accuracy and anticipate throws,” after winning the championship earlier this year, HC Day explained how he found his perfect quarterback in Will Howard. Well, Howard did not disappoint his honcho and helped the Buckeyes end their 10-year title drought all while delivering 4,010 passing yards at a stellar 73.1% completion rate, along with 226 rushing yards. But with Howard entering the NFL draft, Coach Day is in hot water once again, because you do not get a generational talent this easy. Now, with Howard heading to the NFL, Day, once again, is in a dilemma about who would start under center next season.

It’s not that the Buckeyes do not have any QBs. There are already three quarterbacks on the roster who are increasingly touted to be in contention for QB1 spot. The players are Julian Sayin, Lincoln Kienholz, and Tavien St. Clair, the true freshman QB prodigy. The majority of the analysts are giving the QB1 spot to Julian Sayin. Still, Ryan Day has made clear that the race for the QB1 spot is wide open and he hasn’t made up his mind. In that case, does Tavien St. Clair or Lincoln Kienholz have a chance against Julian Sayin?

Zach Smith, a former CFB coach turned Ohio State insider, was discussing the idea with his co-host. The co-host interjected and provided an interesting analysis of Julian Sayin. “I worry that Julian Sayin might just be the perfect seven-on-seven quarterback, and that’s my biggest concern, and I hope that he can change that kind of belief. Because of that, we’ve seen really gifted arm talent guys come through Ohio State, and sometimes it just feels like something is missing, and that’s kind of what I’m getting from Julian Sayin.”

What could the missing piece be? Well, considering Smith mentioned Sayin as perfect for a seven-on-seven setup, the issue could be his inability to see the field when it’s a full game. However, all that comes with experiences. Every great QB started as a beginner. Learning the offense, reading defenses, coverages, and schemes. The learning part never stops with the best QBs. However, you can reach a point with experience. Considering that Sayin is yet to have a QB1 role, this could be it for him. The change to show the world.

Moreover, Julian Sayin has everything you would want in a quarterback. The 2024 class five-star QB was ranked 2 in his position and 8 overall. In 2021, he threw for 2,769 yards and 34 touchdowns. Then, he backed that performance in 2022 when he threw for 2,708 yards and 27 touchdowns, which also included two games in which he threw for more than 200 yards for his high school. Yet, last year, we hadn’t seen any involvement from the player as he just threw for 84 yards and 1 touchdown. Now, he is coming to his redshirt freshman season, and it remains to be seen if he can translate his high school success into the college football arena.

Prospects for other QBs in the battle

Lincoln Kienholz is another player who is touted to be the player who can take the QB1 step. But his suitors seem to be in the minority. However, that doesn’t mean that the player doesn’t have what it takes, even though he hasn’t started any game in two years in the system and is coming to his third. Kienholz also comes on the back of an illustrious high school career and finished his senior season with 3,442 passing yards and 46 touchdowns. He even was named USA Today’s national athlete of the year in 2023.

Then there is the third QB, i.e., Tavien St. Clair. A 2025 freshly arrived prospect still learning the intricacies of Ryan Day’s offense. Yet, he also has immense promise as he is ranked 3 nationally in his position and has a rating of 99.16 on On3. At 6 foot 31/2 and 225 lbs, the player also has the frame to be the dual-threat QB that Howard was. The only thing that isn’t in his favor is his ‘true-freshman’ tag and the fierce competition at the spot.

All in all, it looks like Ryan Day has a major decision to make, and spring practices would be crucial for that. While Julian Sayin may have an advantage in the QB battle, the other two players can also perform in the spring and seal their place.