The battle for Ohio State’s starting quarterback position continues as the 2025 season fast approaches. The frontrunners for the spot are Julian Sayin and Lincoln Kienholz, and based on what Ryan Day said on Tuesday during the Big Ten media days, neither has won the position as of yet.
Ryan Day said he still views the quarterback competition between Julian Sayin and Lincoln Kienholz as neck-and-neck.
Day said the Buckeyes are “going to put them in as many competitive situations as we possibly can” during preseason camp.
— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) July 22, 2025
During his press conference on Tuesday, Ryan Day laid out his plan to figure out who the starting quarterback will be during the preseason training camp:
“We’re going to put them in as many competitive situations as we possibly can to figure out who handles that the best because we’ve got to be on point Week 1,” Day said. “We can’t be messing around. I know that we’ll need all of those guys in that room this year.”
For several analysts, the true favorite to start for the Buckeyes in 2025 is Julian Sayin. Sayin is a former five-star recruit who arrived at Columbus during the 2024 transfer portal, having left Alabama shortly after the announcement of Nick Saban’s retirement. He was the third-best quarterback in his class.
Lincoln Kienholz, on the other hand, is a former four-star recruit who joined the Buckeyes in 2023. He was also the 11th-best quarterback in the class of 2023.

Ohio State’s Ryan Day speaks about Jeremiah Smith’s progress during the offseason
Ryan Day also took some time to talk about his star wide receiver, Jeremiah Smith. Smith won almost every conceivable accolade in a true freshman season for the history books, which also saw him become a key piece of the national championship-winning roster of the Buckeyes.
According to Day, he expects Smith to be even better in 2025:
“He’s gotten bigger and stronger and faster than he was last year. … He just sets such a standard. And you don’t need to motivate Jeremiah. … He may not be an older guy, he may not be vocal in terms of his leadership, but what he does on the field speaks for himself. … He deserves an opportunity to be here today and that’s why he’s here.”
In 2024 recorded 1315 receiving yards, with 15 touchdown catches in 76 receptions. He averaged 17.3 yards per catch last season. Could he improve upon this in 2025?
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