It takes some time to get that same production from a new QB when your old QB leaves. For Ryan Day, the departure of Will Howard, a national champion and an exceptional talent, has done the same. The QB production is a question mark for now, with three inexperienced QBs ready to go at his command. All have the talent to start behind the center, but Julian Sayin might be edging out for Ryan Day as he cleared his stance on the QB battle. But it isn’t set in stone.
Ohio State’s QB Will Howard wasn’t an Ohio State product and came from KSU on a transfer with proven experience. So, in this sense, choosing him behind the center wasn’t a gamble but a clear-cut decision taken by the OSU head coach. The QB undoubtedly repaid the faith as he produced 4,010 passing and 226 rushing yards. But now Ryan Day has three QBs, and all three are Ohio State products, with Lincoln Kienholz being in the system for three years. But this hasn’t made the job easy for Ryan Day.
Coming as a five-star recruit in Ohio State’s 2024 class, Julian Sayin, though, spent some time at Alabama but quickly made OSU his home. Lincoln Kienholz, the other QB in contention for the QB1 spot, came in 2023 as a four-star recruit who was the No. 11 QB in the class. Kienholz played in the Cotton Bowl game in 2023, where he passed for 86 yards, completing 6 of the 17 passes in place of an injured Devin Brown. But this remains his only significant showing. Julian Sayin, on the other hand, showed talent in the spring game this year and completed 17 of the 24 passes for 175 yards. So, when the OSU head coach was asked who would start, he might have hinted it would be Sayin.
“Julian took a different path to get here. I was at, you know, Alabama there, and then when Coach Saban retired, he came here. I was able to see him this season and go through that. This will be his second spring going through that. He’s grown, his body’s grown, had a really good spring game,” said Ryan Day on the 29th May episode of ‘NBC Sports.’ Clarifying Lincoln’s spot, the head coach subtly hinted at him having a “bright future ahead.” This essentially hints that Julian Sayin might be the QB1 due to his spring performances past April.
Nick Saban chats with @StephOtey on hitting the links with @ryandaytime and recruiting Julian Sayin pic.twitter.com/KeAlf9G8EW
— 97.1 The Fan (@971thefan) May 28, 2025
At 6’1″ and 195 lbs, Sayin has grown a lot over the years he has been at Ohio State. We saw his arm talent grow with pinpoint accuracy and the ability to cover all three areas of the field. His pocket presence is also top-notch, which helps him perform even with a relatively smaller frame. Moreover, even before the QB battle started, the hype was there with him, and he was touted as the “apparent heir.” All these things combined bolster Sayin’s case. But there’s still time for Lincoln Kienholz to prove himself in the fall camp.
Jeremiah Smith out to break Trevor Insley’s record in 2025, as per Ryan Day?
Ohio State’s national title rested on the backs of several players last season. But the most notable one of them was the true freshman, Jeremiah Smith. We saw him lighting up the field game after game as he recorded 1,315 receiving yards in the 16 games he played. The awards then lined up for him. Starting from selection as a First-Team All-American to becoming the first Buckeye freshman receiver to cross 1,000 yards. Now with him coming back to OSU again, the natty whispers are growing in Ohio State’s favor.
Ryan Day provided how Jeremiah Smith has grown and teased OSU supporters about the upgrade people are going to see in him. “He’ll come in with a different mindset than he did last year. Just even bigger, stronger, more mature, more veteran, and because of that, the game will slow down even more for him. I think you’ll see, I don’t know how much the jump will be, but you’ll see even better play.” Even better play?
Last year, Smith’s performance was world-class. Now you’re saying that he will upgrade it even more? You just put the all-time receiving yards of Trevor Insley (2,060 yards) at risk. Moreover, with Julian Sayin gelling in perfectly in practices, Jeremiah Smith is already a top 5 contender for the Heisman. Additionally, the other players in the receiver room will also provide a greater upside, like Carnell Tate and Brandon Iniss, with both players returning in 2025.
The post Ryan Day’s Big Statement on Julian Sayin Nearly Confirms OSU’s QB1 After HC Clears Stance on Jeremiah Smith’s Future appeared first on EssentiallySports.