The Ohio State Buckeyes are having a difficult battle for their starting quarterback spot this preseason training camp. Since at least spring practice, the job has been down to Julian Sayin and Lincoln Kienholz, with analysts long suspecting Sayin might be the front runner for the role.
Not according to Josh Pate, who shared key intel from the Ohio State training camp on Monday. Apparently, Kienholz has outperformed Sayin in some aspects during the offseason, although he still expects Sayin to come out on top. He said:
“Ohio State quarterback competition has been for real. That’s Julian Sayin and that’s Lincoln Kienholz. Kienholz’s probably a better athlete. He’s not probably, he’s a better athlete than Julian Sayin. He probably gives you a more dynamic threat with his legs.” (4:08)
“Like I’ve thought Julian Sayin’s going to win this job for seven or eight months. You know what that’s worth? Nothing. The longer this goes without them naming a starter, you run the risk of that happening. Also, unrelated note, sounds like they’re” (6:00)
Sayin is a former five-star recruit from Alabama, who transferred to Ohio State following Nick Saban’s retirement. He never played for the Crimson Tide, and his career has been mainly with the Buckeyes so far. Kienholz has a bit more experience, being a former four-star recruit who joined Ohio State in 2023.
Ryan Day on quarterback battle between Julian Sayin and Lincoln Kienholz
In Monday’s press conference, Ohio State’s Ryan Day discussed the state of the quarterback battle within the program. Day doesn’t seem to want to be rushed to pick one quarterback over another, even though we are less than a month away from the start of the college football season:
“There were positives on both ends,” Day said. “There were negatives on both ends. I won’t predict when we’ll make this decision.”
“We’re getting more and more information that we need to make a decision. Where it’s at now, we’ll let it continue to play out.”
Day also believes that the coaching staff is seeing progression on the part of the quarterbacks, and they want to continue to assess. When asked if Kienholz should be worried, given the amount of time he has with the school, he said that loyal Buckeyes usually find a way to get consistent playtime on the field. Over the summer, Kienholz was named an Iron Buckeye.
Read more:
27 Weeks After National Championship Win, Ryan Day Reflects On Turning Point Of Ohio State’s Season
Ohio State QB Depth: Ryan Day Shares Update On Competition Between Julian Sayin, Lincoln Kienholz
