Even hoisting the national championship trophy didn’t make the Ohio State Buckeyes immune to the quarterback hoopla that’s swirling around. While seemingly every major program, from Alabama to Georgia to Notre Dame, is caught up in the ‘who’s the starting quarterback?’ guessing game, the Buckeyes are old hands at this particular drama. For the fourth time in the last few years, they’re looking at a fresh face stepping up to lead the offense. The last time a new QB really lit up the scene was back in 2021 with CJ Stroud. Then came Kyle McCord, Will Howard… so who’s next on the list in 2025?
Now the battle in Columbus for that QB1 spot is a three-way clash between redshirt freshman Julian Sayin, redshirt sophomore Lincoln Kienholz, and true freshman Tavien St. Clair. However, if you’re going by the buzz, Sayin seems to be the frontrunner to take the crown. Yet, some analysts are urging caution, keeping expectations in check.
While the competition will play out this season, Julian Sayin has definitely emerged as the early favorite. The Buckeyes snagged the former five-star recruit and Alabama quarterback from the transfer portal before the 2024 season, creating a lot of excitement. But it might not be a smooth ride for Sayin. He’s already hit a significant bump in the road—an underwhelming performance at the scrimmage during the March 29-30 weekend. As On3’s Lettermen Row’s Alex Gleitman noted, “I am told that it was not Julian Sayin’s best day on Saturday,” and it sounds like this has opened the door a bit wider for the other two in the race. In this regard, Jackson Arnold’s experience at Oklahoma serves as a reality check for the challenges ahead.
On the March 31st episode of the ESPN College Football podcast, analyst Greg McElroy addressed the elephant in the room. “Coming into the spring season, we’re under the assumption that’s [QB1] going to be Julian Sayin. Well, by all accounts, that’s not really the way it’s working out right now. Now Julian Sayin, by all accounts, did not have a great scrimmage last week. Sounds like kind of struggled on Saturday.” Well, it did ring the alarm bells.
After all, “It is the first extended scrimmage of the spring, and the expectation level of Julian Sayin was nowhere near what we ended up getting.” On that note, McElroy thought of digging up some fresh memories to open Sayin and Buckeyes’ fans’ eyes. “Given where we were one year ago, there is a little bit of reason to be a tiniest bit concerned. Because what was the situation last year when it came to the Oklahoma Sooners?” The spring season was all about hyping Arnold up.
After all, the young chap was all set to fill the shoes of someone like Dillon Gabriel. Back in Oklahoma, Gabriel amassed 3,660 passing yards in the 2023 season and 3,168 in 2022. So obviously the expectations were understandably high for Arnold. And we all know what happened next. He got benched after a turnover-filled first half against Tennessee. The QB then fumbled twice and threw an interception in the first half against the Vols. Both fumbles were critical mistakes. McElroy explored the reason behind Arnold’s wheels falling off. “He was pressing, and when he was pressing, he made mistakes.” Now, what’s the lesson that Sayin needs to take away from this reference?
Time is running out for the 19-year-old. McElroy has already rung the bell. “All I’m saying is if he [Sayin] doesn’t clean it up in the next scrimmage and the scrimmage after that, and then clean it up throughout the summer and then clean it up a little bit throughout fall camp, then it’s just something to be mindful of.” Now what’s a better way to figure things out than by watching another hyped-up five-star recruit deal with the pressure of filling huge shoes? But for Sayin, the pressure is going to be 100x compared to Arnold. The Buckeyes are the defending champs, after all. And yeah, McElroy’s not alone in thinking Sayin’s got to earn everyone’s trust.
The real test begins for Julian Sayin
It’s not that Sayin’s hopes are dashed. While he hasn’t yet secured the starting role, he’s already generated Heisman buzz, having been named the MVP of the 2023 Elite 11. Let’s not forget the strong foundation he built in high school. At Carlsbad High School, Sayin amassed 7,824 passing yards, 85 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. On that note, Ohio State insider Nevada Buck was already impressed by the young talent.
Even with limited opportunities to start, Sayin achieved a 41.7% completion rate. This earned him the label of “effortless runner” and the “smartest quarterback that we’ve ever had.” But the true test begins now….
On the March 25th episode of the On3 podcast, J.D. PicKell pointed out that Sayin still needs to prove himself. “He still has got to win the job; he is a redshirt freshman, so a full year in the system, he got spring practice last year.” In this way, he already holds an advantage over another frontrunner in the 2025 QB race, Bryce Underwood, who is a true freshman. PicKell added, “He still has to do it, still has to earn it. We have not seen him play a lick of college football that is meaningful.”
He continued, “He’s [Sayin] still throwing to the best player in college football, Jeremiah Smith, so does he have to live up to the standard that is Ohio State and being the quarterback? Of course. I think that’s honestly the biggest challenge that I have for him: can you handle all that comes with being the guy at Ohio State? Can you handle being the guy at Ohio State if you lose the first game to Texas?” But amidst all the doubts surrounding Julian Sayin, a significant boost came his way.
The praise was even more meaningful as it came from Sayin’s predecessor, Will Howard: “Julian is one of the most accurate quarterbacks I’ve been around.” If the 6-foot-1 signal-caller wins this QB1 battle, he will not only face the pressure of leading a team aiming to defend their 2024 national championship but also a star-studded wide receiving corps of Carnell Tate, Jeremiah Smith, Brandon Inniss, and Bryson Rodgers. The next scrimmage is Sayin’s stage—time to prove he’s the real deal, the face of the offense.
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