Ryan Day throws down the gauntlet to Julian Sayin & Lincoln Kienholz as starting QB battle intensifies at Ohio State

The Ohio State starting quarterback battle is heating up. Julian Sayin and Lincoln Kienholz are competing to be QB1 for the reigning CFB champions following Will Howard's departure to the big league.

Coach Ryan Day is aware of the competition, and he's thrown down the gauntlet for the duo. He has witnessed his fair share of quarterback battles, and this might be one of the most intriguing.

Chase Brown tweeted about Day's comments on Monday:

"Julian Sayin or Lincoln Kienholz would have to make a significant move to win Ohio State's quarterback competition this week. However, the national championship-winning head coach did not rule it out."

Furthermore, while speaking at the press conference, Day said that true freshman Tavien St. Clair has 'a long way to go.'

Julian Sayin is entering his second full season with the Buckeyes. He was only featured in four games as a freshman, with none of them being starts. He put up a stat line of 84 passing yards, one touchdown and zero interceptions.

Lincoln Kienholz is the more experienced member of the Buckeyes. The Pierre, South Dakota-born QB has been a backup since entering the locker room in 2023. This might be his last chance to snag the keys to one of the most storied programs in all of college football.

Julian Sayin and Lincoln Kienholz have big shoes to fill at Ohio State

Julian Sayin and Lincoln Kienholz are competing to replace Will Howard who was part of Ohio State's run to national glory in the 2024-25 season. He departed the program with a slew of records. This includes but is not limited to the Buckeyes' single-season and career completion percentage records and the school record for most games with at least an 80 percent completion percentage (eight).

He was instrumental in the program recording a school-record 14-win season en route to the big game.

Sayin and Kienholz have styles that are rather different from Howard's. However, whoever is handed the starting job will have Howard's records as a benchmark for excellence.