Ohio State, coming off a championship season, isn’t backing down from its challenges. Coach Ryan Day has a knack for bouncing back. We saw that in their unbeaten run after a tough loss to Michigan. Day led the team to an impressive title win at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium on January 20th. But he definitely faced some bumps along the way. After that championship victory, the Buckeyes lost a number of key players, which made things tricky. They’re missing a quarterback like Will Howard and won’t have Emeka Egbuka on the field to help out. Still, Day has been busy filling those gaps as the team heads into spring practice. It looks like the struggles from last year might actually give them a bit of an edge this time around.

Stabilizing your roster in the crazy portal era is quite a task for the coaches. However, Day didn’t lose a single player during the spring portal. So, the Buckeyes are rolling. They are not as strong as their 2024 roster, but they are gaining steam, and most weirdly, last year’s injury galore added to their strength. Players like Josh Simmons and Seth McLaughlin missed a chunk of their time because of injuries. But in a ripple effect, it allowed younger guys some reps. A good enough boost for a younger, underrated O-line.

“The line of scrimmage people, for the most part, are in new roles. That doesn’t mean they’re bad. It just means they’re new. In the offensive line, they had to rely on some pretty young players last year in the offensive line spot when Josh Simmons went down, who was coming back like, and when Seth McLaughlin went down,” Ari Wasserman of ON3 said.

For a young QB like Julian Sayin, it matters that the guys tasked to protect him have been there before. Players coming from injuries will also mean that the O-line won’t just be battle-tested; it will also be fresh. As a result, Ari Wasserman put the Buckeyes in the fourth spot of the projected playoff teams. “So yeah, they have dudes and they will probably be a 10- or 11-win team this year.”

Well, it was not just the newbies’ year in Columbus this time. They have had some great returners, too. “I mean, they have a lot of really good players. Jeremiah Smith is all we talk about, but like they also have Carnell Tate and Brandon Innis coming back. Like their receiving core is going to be the best receiving core in college,” Ari added to a faded hope of the champions.

Smith’s playmaking ability was the talk of the town last season. He might have just had one catch over three yards in the Buckeyes’ win over the Longhorns. But don’t get it wrong! One game didn’t define his potential. Smith’s reaffirmation of his commitment to the Buckeyes despite all the portal rumors will be a big thing.

However, despite all the glimmers, the Buckeyes have been dealing with some growing pains. After all, they have to start their title defense run under fewer proven coordinators and a new starting quarterback. Can Julian Sayin fill the shoes of Will Howard? Ohio State’s future will mostly hinge on this answer.

Julian Sayin has to take the lead in the post-Will Howard era 

Ohio State’s QB conundrum is yet to be settled. Lincoln Kienholz outstripped him during the spring scrimmage, as multiple reports suggested he looked a lot more poised than Sayin. The race is close, but it didn’t seem to be a job to lose for Sayin. His quick release and strong arm have stunned the fans all along. But he needs a lot of work to do to be an exclusive household name in Columbus.

“It would not be a surprise if Julian Sayin winds up being one of the Big Ten’s top two quarterbacks this season for the Buckeyes if he can holoff Kienholzlz during fall camp,” analyst Brad Crawford wrote. Sayin, the most hyped-up horse in the race, has also grabbed the attention of his coach, Ryan Day. Thanks to his flawless and quick adaptability in his system.

 “I felt like Lincoln settled down after the first drive or so,” Day said after the spring game, via Eleven Warriors. “But I thought Julian was, overall, in a nice rhythm from the start. … We’ll use this as another evaluation tool. … I’m glad we did this. I’m glad we did the spring game.”

But only winning the job won’t be the endgame for the Bama transfer at all. He needs to carry the torch of Howard’s legacy in the locker room leadership as well. A good offensive line can boost his confidence for sure, widening the room for the overall growth of a program that has lost half of its guns.