Ohio State HC Ryan Day shares unfiltered thoughts on Buckeyes’ QB competition following spring game practice

As the 2025 season gets closer, Ohio State is trying to figure out who will be its starting quarterback. With last year’s starter, Will Howard, now in the NFL, Ryan Day has a big decision to make, and it looks like it's between two players: Julian Sayin and Lincoln Kienholz.

After the Buckeyes' spring game on April 12, Day shared with reporters that it’s now a “two-horse” race between Sayin and Kienholz. The third quarterback, Tavien St. Clair, a true freshman, is no longer in the mix to start, at least not this year. Day said St. Clair has all the tools, but the game is still moving too fast for him, and he needs more time to learn and get used to the speed of college football.

“Ryan Day said he thought Lincoln Kienholz was a little bit ahead of Julian Sayin for most of the spring, but thought Sayin was a little better than Kienholz in the spring game. Asked if there is a frontrunner at quarterback coming out of spring, Day replied succinctly: ‘No,’” Eleven Warriors' Dan Hope tweeted on Tuesday.

Sayin, a five-star recruit from California and a transfer from Alabama, saw limited playing time last year but is already in early Heisman Trophy conversations due to his talent. He has a strong arm and big potential.

Meanwhile, Kienholz, who’s been with the Buckeyes a year longer, also saw limited playing time and redshirted last season. He knows the system well and has shown steady improvement.

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Ryan Day on the close competition between Julian Sayin and Lincoln Kienholz

This isn’t the first time Ohio State coach Ryan Day has said that Lincoln Kienholz and Julian Sayin are the top two options for the starting quarterback job.

“Lincoln and Julian are, you know, pretty much neck-and-neck right now," Day said on April 7, via SI. "It’s been, you know, three guys getting after it every day, improvement across the board. You know, there’s been good days on all fronts, but then there’s been other days not so good. They’re growing. They’re learning. You know, there’s nobody that’s any further ahead than the other one right now, so they’re going to continue to compete.

With wide receiver Jeremiah Smith on the team, it should be easier for a new quarterback to settle in.