Michael Cohen
Faculty Soccer and Faculty Basketball Author
For the third time in as a few years, ever since quarterback C.J. Stroud left faculty early to enter the NFL Draft, the battle to turn into Ohio State’s subsequent signal-caller has been among the many driving storylines of every successive offseason, culminating with the Buckeyes’ televised spring sport for everybody to watch and dissect. The sample established through the early portion of head coach Ryan Day’s tenure, when Stroud and predecessor Justin Fields developed into multi-year starters, now resembles a revolving door that, not less than to this point, is producing wildly contrasting outcomes.
In 2023, the primary season post-Stroud, former five-star prospect Kyle McCord outdueled Devin Brown to win the beginning job. McCord carried out solidly at instances whereas throwing for 3,170 yards and 24 touchdowns towards solely six interceptions, finally guiding the Buckeyes to an 11-1 report, however he fell noticeably in need of the sky-high expectations that demand each excellence and no matter lies past for the starter at Ohio State. He wound up transferring to Syracuse final winter.
In 2024, as discussions about Day’s future started occupying increasingly more corners of social media, the Buckeyes hooked up themselves to Kansas State switch Will Howard, an imposing bodily specimen with a successful pedigree however combined statistical manufacturing in 4 years with the Wildcats. Howard edged Brown atop the depth chart and turned in what was unquestionably the perfect season of his profession — he handed for 4,010 yards with 35 touchdowns and 10 interceptions whereas finishing 73% of his throws — en path to successful the nationwide championship and immortalizing his place in program historical past. Brown has since transferred to California.
All of which set the stage for this 12 months’s quarterback competitors that has pitted junior Lincoln Kienholz towards sophomore Julian Sayin, with five-star freshman Tavien St. Clair in line behind them. These three gamers attracted extra eyeballs than most when Ohio State held its spring sport earlier than an introduced crowd of 40,136 followers at Ohio Stadium over the weekend, with many extra watching on Large Ten Community. Everybody wished to type an opinion about which signal-caller must be subsequent.
“You’ll be able to see there was a reasonably important emphasis on throwing the ball to see how the quarterbacks had been going to reply,” Day mentioned throughout his postgame information convention. “We’ll use this as one other analysis instrument as a result of proper from the bounce, from once we obtained off the bus to once we simply completed there, I am glad we did this. I am glad we did the spring sport. It was undoubtedly the appropriate factor to do. I want we might have stayed on the market for an additional 4 hours and gotten these guys reps and gotten these guys work.”
Primarily based solely on final Saturday’s showcase, which featured a modified sport format that prevented quarterbacks from being hit and solely allowed the second- and third-stringers to deal with, the chief in Ohio State’s clubhouse must be Sayin, anointed by many followers and analysts because the possible winner each time Day solidifies the depth chart. Sayin accomplished 17 of 24 passes (70.8%) for 175 yards, one landing and no interceptions whereas flashing the tight-window accuracy and fast decision-making which have endeared him to the Buckeyes’ coaches from the second he arrived by way of the switch portal final winter. It appeared logical that Sayin, who was the highest-rated quarterback within the 247Sports Composite for the 2024 recruiting cycle, would fill Howard’s footwear this fall and doubtlessly run the present for his sophomore and junior seasons, if not longer, to revive some continuity on the sport’s most necessary place.
However Sayin’s ascendance on the depth chart just isn’t with out rising pains, and native beat writers chronicling the crew have documented some unevenness all through the offseason, most notably throughout a public — however not televised — scrimmage the week earlier than Ohio State’s spring sport. Listed at 6-feet-1 and 203 kilos, each of which may be beneficiant, Sayin nonetheless seems quite small when encircled by mammoth offensive and defensive linemen, a distinction to a number of the statuesque quarterbacks Day has leaned on lately. He had one go batted down on the line of scrimmage over the weekend and nonetheless should show he can pump the ball downfield in adversarial climate situations. However the stunning seam route landing he zipped to tight finish Max Klare, a high-impact switch from Purdue, and the rifled throw to wideout Mylan Graham towards tight protection on an in-breaking route confirmed why seemingly each faculty within the nation recruited him out of Carlsbad Excessive Faculty in California.
“I feel the factor for Julian is he is realized he is had some good days, he is had some days he is studying from,” Day mentioned. “However a giant trait of nice quarterbacks is that they’re resilient. They maintain coming again they usually continue to learn. In the event that they maintain making the identical mistake again and again — not good. However I feel all the fellows have been [resilient] this spring. It was good to see him reply the way in which he did and rebound from a pair [rougher] practices early on.”
Sayin’s main challenger is Kienholz, probably the most skilled quarterback amongst a gaggle that can enter the 2025 season having logged simply 96 collegiate snaps mixed, except the Buckeyes add a veteran within the spring portal window. Kienholz earned the majority of his taking part in time through the 2023 Cotton Bowl after McCord left for Syracuse and Brown exited with an harm. That evening, Kienholz accomplished simply six of 17 passes for 86 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions in a dispiriting 14-3 loss to Missouri that invited questions on his long-term potential.
Rated a four-star prospect and the No. 15 quarterback within the 2023 recruiting class, Kienholz was initially dedicated to Washington earlier than flipping his pledge late within the cycle and signing with the Buckeyes one week later. He solely performed eight snaps final season amid a crowded depth chart that additionally featured five-star freshman Air Noland, who signed with Ohio State lengthy earlier than Sayin arrived, and later transferred to South Carolina. However Kienholz determined to stay with the Buckeyes and has proven indicators of progress this spring, edging Sayin within the public scrimmage final week.
Within the spring sport, nevertheless, Kienholz endured some early struggles earlier than settling in because the afternoon progressed. A 3-and-out on his opening drive gave method to an exquisite completion to wideout Brandon Inniss towards zone protection later within the first half, and his second-half read-option landing to Graham was among the many higher throws of the day by any quarterback. He completed 12-of-18 for 158 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions in a format that did not enable Kienholz, a real dual-threat participant, to make satisfactory use of his athleticism exterior the pocket.
“While you play basketball, baseball, lacrosse [growing up], you are taking part in like seven video games in a weekend,” Day mentioned. “These guys play like 12 to 13 video games in a 12 months of 11-on-11, padded, stay soccer. That is it. So taking part in 7-on-7? That is nice. That is not soccer. The throws that you simply’re making aren’t actual as a result of there is not any 6-foot-5 [offensive] deal with and a man over right here that is making an attempt to tear your head off.
“The extra we will create these environments for our guys, the extra they will determine. And good athletes — like Lincoln and Julian and Tavien — they determine it out over time. You simply must proceed to search out methods to get on the market. I want we had 15 extra practices within the spring to get on the market and study and develop from. However I feel there was progress made.”
And now begins the following section of Ohio State’s competitors following 15 spring practices and a pair of public showcases. With summer time comes extra conditioning, extra particular person work and extra player-led drills that preempt the canine days of fall camp, when Day will finally crown his starter earlier than a tough opener towards Texas on Aug. 30.
He missed on McCord however struck gold with Howard. So will or not it’s Sayin or Kienholz up subsequent?
Michael Cohen covers faculty soccer and faculty basketball for FOX Sports activities. Observe him on Twitter @Michael_Cohen13.
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