Ohio State football's Julian Sayin may not start at quarterback for Buckeyes in 2025

Julian Sayin may not be Ohio State football's starting quarterback as initially expected. With Will Howard off to the NFL, the Buckeyes' quarterback battle is becoming clearer each day.

Sayin's top competitor is Lincoln Kienholz, who could potentially be named Ohio State's starting QB over him, per Ryan Day's recent update from Columbus.  

"It’s going to be a new year. And I feel like there’s only been a couple times [since] I’ve been here, that we’ve had this conversation," Day told Rece Davis during an appearance on the College GameDay podcast. 

"I feel like Julian and Lincoln are head of Tavian right now. Tavian has got a lot of upside, but just a little bit behind only having 15 practices. Julian has a year in the system. Lincoln, I said it the other day in the press conference that I feel like Lincoln was ahead of Julian going into the spring game, and I thought Julian had a better spring game than Lincoln, so it’s back and forth."

Given that the team is the defending national champions, finding Howard's correct successor would be the decisive task for Day's era in Ohio State.

Whoever gets the role will face the expectations of replacing Howard's stellar football acumen and his brilliant leadership skills. 

"This summer is going to be important," Day continued. "I think they’re all going to need each other. You’re not dealing with, you know, a 22-23-year-old Will Howard, who can probably handle 16 games. So I think they’re all going to need each other. We’re going to develop a great room there and we’ll see other summer shakes out."

Day isn't rushing into naming his next starter. He will take his sweet time in assessing the situation. Chances are good that blue bloods Alabama, Notre Dame, and Ohio State will name their starter right before the season starts, after summer.

Their decision will heavily influence how the next era of college football turns out.