The first spring in Columbus after snapping a decade-long championship drought should feel extra breeze, extra pleasant. However, that’s not quite the case. Ohio State and Ryan Day have got the monkey off their backs, but there’s just never any respite at a blueblood program of this ilk. Problems spawn quicker than Jeremiah Smith can run a route. The Buckeyes are living through a conundrum right now. Will Howard as a stopgap QB turned out to be a stroke of genius. But who’s his successor? An admittedly cheesy and maybe even dated anime reference helps explain the plot and characters at play.
Know Dragon Ball Z? The one with the obnoxious shouting and the yellow hair? Of course you do. The Saiyan Saga in DBZ shares parallels with the “Julian Sayin” saga down at OSU. Both represent a line in the sand between two different eras. Marking the start of a sequel after a heroic happy ending for the cast. Both have the main characters dealing with uncharted territory, confused and not knowing what their future holds. Learning things on the fly (pun very much intended!) about where they stand in the hierarchy of power. In the universe for one, and on the depth chart for another. But there’s a point of divergence between the Saiyan Saga and the Sayin Saga. One’s villains are maniacal, racist aliens who’ve experienced all there is to experience. For the Ohio State variant? Very human traits- like inexperience.
Both Julian Sayin and his contemporary Lincoln Kienholz have a grand total of zero starts at the collegiate level. So how does Ryan Day make his pick? The imminent spring game will offer massive insight into what new OC Brian Hartline and Coach Day are planning. The prevailing belief within fans is that Julian Sayin is leading the race. The former 5-star QB has bid his time in the QB room and is the natural choice. However, Ryan Day threw a spanner in the works when he said the competition is “pretty much neck and neck right now.” They two have shared an equal number of reps through camp. So in order to find a potential chink in this proverbial armor that Coach Day has held- staying tightlipped and neutral- the spring game will indeed be a litmus test. On3’s J.D PicKell leveraged his opinion on what he expects to learn from the game about the QB battle.
Dissecting the spring game over the On3 YouTube channel, PicKell said, “I think both guys b–l out.” PicKell acknowledged how this comes across as him sitting on the fence. But it doesn’t deter him from giving his honest option. He proceeded to say, “When you have an intense quarterback battle like Ohio State does, coming off of a national championship, you’re trying to root out complacently…you’re trying to create some urgency for your team.” J.D PicKell elaborated on how urgency all across the roster would actually help Ryan Day single out his QB1. “Having two dudes going back and forth, that’s going to raise the intensity level of the entire team. Because you don’t want to be the guy that drops that dime from Julian Sayin. Or misses the block where Lincoln Kienholz could have made a big play downfield [and] hurt him in the quarterback race,”
This is actually a shrewd take on the matter and not sitting on the fence. The entire team, and not just Ryan Day, have the responsibility to make sure there’s a fair opportunity for Sayin and Kienholz. They need to give both equal effort. Which, by extension, raises the ante on intensity. Thus removing complacency from the equation. No wonder Coach Day hasn’t announced his starter or even come close. The longer this battle carries on, the better it is for his team in their effort to defend the Natty. But while delaying this decision is good for the team, it’s doubly problematic for the eventual loser.
Ryan Day’s reasoning for not naming Julian Sayin or Lincoln Kienholz as QB1 is multifold
Ryan Day has a history of announcing his QB1 later than most coaches. This goes back to CJ Stroud. Even the NFL-bound Will Howard, who was as obvious a selection as they come after his transfer from Kansas State, didn’t get the full green light in spring. The reasons in favor of this strategy are clear and it’s justified. But let’s, hypothetically, assume Lincoln Kienholz loses out to Julian Sayin. What does that mean for his future?
If the decision isn’t announced while the transfer portal is open, Kienholz could be stuck in limbo. As a former 4-star recruit who’s shown he can hang with the very best, he does deserve to be a starter somewhere. But he’ll get blocked out in this scenario, and left to spend another year of his college eligibility as a backup. Does Ryan Day want this? I mean, he doesn’t want to waste a career. But he’s probably well aware of what delaying his decision means and is still doing it. For a Natty contender such as OSU, a good backup QB is requisite. You can’t afford to lose one player to injury and it derail your entire season. If Kienholz transfers out, the Buckeyes will be left with true freshman Tavien St. Clair as QB2. He’s uber talented, but very likely not ready to be thrown into the deep end just yet.
Ryan Day has to strike a balance her, which is why he’s paid the big bucks. He needs to keep his cards close to his chest so that one of his two best QBs at this current moment doesn’t hit the portal. While also ensuring they’re satisfied enough to stick around and push the other one right through fall. There are a lot of layers to peel over here. This isn’t an envious position to be in whatsoever. Not for Coach for Day, not for Julian Sayin and not for Lincoln Kienholz.
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