As the Ohio State Buckeyes training camp continues, the race for the starting quarterback between Julian Sayin and Lincoln Kienholz is heating up. Sayin is considered the favorite, but there is always the chance of Kienholz pulling the big upset.
On Tuesday, head coach Ryan Day talked about which of these candidates did well during training so far at the camp.
“They’ve both had good moments and moments where they’ve grown,” Day said. “The competition continues.”
Day also told reporters that he is “pleased” with what the two quarterbacks have shown so far and added that both of them have already shown much growth from last season.
Ryan Day on Ohio State’s quarterback competition between Julian Sayin and Lincoln Kienholz:
“They’ve both had good moments and moments where they’ve grown,” he said. “The competition continues.”
Day said he’s been “pleased with the progress” of both quarterbacks.
— Chase Brown (@chaseabrown__) August 5, 2025
Ryan Day also talked about Julian Sayin and was all praises for the BQ1 frontrunner, noting his improvements so far in the training camp.
“There’s a lot to like. He’s very smart. He makes quick decisions. The ball comes out of his hand, he’s accurate,” he noted. “He’s improved. He wants to be good. He knows what it takes.”
Ryan Day on what he likes about Julian Sayin:
“There’s a lot to like. He’s very smart. He makes quick decisions. The ball comes out of his hand, he’s accurate,” Day said. “He’s improved. He wants to be good. He knows what it takes.”
— Chase Brown (@chaseabrown__) August 5, 2025
Sayin is a red shirt freshman while Kienholz is a sophomore, and both of have been impressive so far. A third quarterback in Tavien St. Clair, a freshman, is also in the race but the two favorites are Sayin and Kienholz.
Whoever is the quarterback, however, has all the pressure in the world, as their season opener will be against heavy favorites Texas on Aug. 30.
Julian Sayin Talks About Leaving Alabama for Ohio State
Julian Sayin also spoke with reporters during the training camp, and there, he revealed why he left Alabama for Ohio State. He told reporters that the reason he committed to Alabama was their former head coach, Nick Saban, and when he retired, he decided to transfer.
“When I ended up going to Alabama, I wanted to go play for Coach Saban,” Sayin told reporters. “And when he retired, I decided to transfer and Ohio State was just a big decision for me and I was excited to make it just because of the quarterback development history they’ve had with Coach Day.”
Julian Sayin then noted that he learned a lot from former Ohio State QB Will Howard, who led the Buckeyes to the national title last year, praising him for being a great leader.
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