Amidst the spring game buzz, QB 1 competition is heating up at Ohio State. For the third consecutive spring, Ohio State is looking for a new starting quarterback to take the torch from Will Howard. An elite transfer from Kansas State who earned the team a Natty. First-year quarterbacks coach Billy Fessler has a lot of options arrayed in the line. Lincoln Keinholz is returning for his third season with the Buckeyes, while five-star recruit and Bellefontaine, Ohio, native Tavien St. Clair is making waves in the spring reps. Last but not least, former five-star recruit Julian Sayin seemingly stands atop the three-man competition in his second year at Columbus. So, who will spearhead the offense next?
Well, the question needs deep introspection. Ryan Day has already said the competition is wide open heading into another year. Day didn’t leave any preconceived notion to entertain; as he said, every single thing would be charted and held accountable in a close competition. So, anything can happen. But unofficially, it is Julian Sayin, the Alabama transfer who patiently learned standing behind the veteran signal-callers in his freshman year. Now, he is striving to jump into the spotlight right away. Sayin’s accurate passes and effortless throwing motion have been a treat to the eyes.
The other two have been phenomenal as well. But
during the March 22nd episode of ROC Boys football, host Jason Piacelli deems Sayin as the best to win, and not just because he is super hyped and had some good exhibition of talents last year. Not at all. Rather, the analyst thinks Sayin’s specific style and traits fit the current Buckeyes’ QB requirement. ”
What does Julian Sayin do best? Very quick release, extremely accurate, and that’s all you need here,’‘ Piacelli said.
“You know it will. It’s the opposite conversation that we had with Michigan. Like Michigan, you need the quarterback to be the engine because we got question marks about what’s around the quarterback.”Ohio State’s wide receiver room looks pretty jacked up in the class of 2025. So, the load on the quarterback’s shoulder is going to be lighter than a team that’s solely looking to the QB to take the game forward, triggering a good game into the rest of the offense. ”For Ohio State, the engine ain’t going to be the quarterback. It’s going to be Jeremiah Smith…. going to be Carnell Tate…. going to be Brandon Inniss. It’s going to be Max Claire. Julian Sayin is the quarterback I trust to drive the Ferrari of an offense that Ohio State has,” the ROC Boys football host continued, highlighting the brownie point for Sayin.
Sure, they have lost some gems, including school career receptions record-holder Emeka Egbuka. Still, the transfer portal products can fill in the shoes under a new offensive coordinator, Brian Hartline. So, it would be a perfect protection shield for Sayin to take the leap. But anything is not certain yet. QB coach Billy Fessler believes we are still in a fiery competition between Sayin, Kienholz, and St. Clair, and it’s too early to reinforce anything. Buckeyes insider seconded him in
an eye-popping Lincoln Kienholz admission.Lincoln Kienholz gets an edge over other QB contenders for one specific trait
In his sophomore season, Kienholz was Ohio State’s fourth-string quarterback, waiting for his turn behind Will Howard, Devin Brown, and Julian Sayin. He only got to see the field in one game against Tennessee during the Buckeyes’ College Football Playoff win. Now, suddenly, he was left as the elder statesman of the Brown-Howard-Kienholz trio. The former Alabama transfer is already feeling the load of the quarterback position group to lead the offense, just as his seniors (signal-callers) have done for him.
As a senior in football, he mounted 3,422 yards with 46 touchdowns and rushed for 1,435 yards and 24 touchdowns. The prime QB1 contender capped off his career with the most passing yards in South Dakota. So, the talent and number are not even a concern. But this is not the only point he can be a threat to Sayin in the looming race.
Speaking with Dom Tiberi on WBNS 10TV on March 21, Ohio State beat writer Tim May said, “The thing that struck me was how much bigger Lincoln Kienholz looks. He looks the part, No. 1.” He then kept on adding to his plus points. “No. 2, he’s been around longer than either of the other two. No. 3, I think we all are handing it to Julian Sayin right out of the gate, but I mean, until you do it in front of the coaches and do it consistently, meaning run the offense, throw to the right people, throw accurately, all those kind of things, it’s still up in the air.”
It will be a thing to watch out for who dominates the Buckeyes offense for the next couple of years. But no matter who does, Kienholz indicates a spirit of camaraderie in the locker room and the field. Keeping aside the forced competitive narrative, the former Alabama transfer said he and Sayin will bring the best out of each other on the field.
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