In July 2025, Eli Brickhandler arrived in Columbus through the transfer portal, slotting in behind a group of highly touted QBs. He didn’t enter Ohio State’s QB room with the swagger of a 5-star. Instead, the California player walked in with the weight of a decision he almost made for good. 

“To the boy who was going to drop out of college so I could stay home with the baby, I’m glad you didn’t ❤️” his wife Sean Kelly Brickhandler wrote on her Instagram reel on November 25.

The clip showed Eli Brickhandler on the field holding their daughter, Kaelani, soaking in a moment bigger than football.

“…And it all worked out ❤️,” she added in her caption.

This post was a quiet reminder of how close Eli Brickhandler came to walking away from all of this. He is married to Sean Kelly Brickhandler, his college sweetheart, a former North Carolina A&T hooper. Their daughter arrived in August 2024, and ever since then, family has been the anchor. And if Instagram is any indication, Columbus already feels like home. 

“Congrats, baby, Ohio is home,” she wrote when Eli committed.

And here’s where his journey gets even more unbelievable.

Before this heartwarming chapter, Eli Brickhandler was a football nomad. The 3-star Stockton native made a senior-year move to North Carolina as the highest-rated QB signee in NC A&T history. He had two seasons there, including 434 passing yards, three touchdowns, and 176 rushing yards sprinkled with grit. Then came Houston Christian, where he stacked 557 passing yards, four passing TDs, and four rushing TDs in 2024 including a wild 159-passing, 138-rushing combo platter to take down No. 22 McNeese.

After that, he went pro in Hungary. The Gyór Sharks handed him QB duties, punting duties, and apparently the offensive coordinator job. He returned stateside with a degree from Houston Christian and two years of eligibility, now pursuing a master’s in sports management at Ohio State.

Ohio State’s 2025 scholarship QB list already had three stars before his arrival. Julian Sayin, Tavien St. Clair, and Lincoln Kienholz. He’s the clear fourth-string guy. It’s a perplexing competitive choice unless you know how much he loves the game because he nearly gave it up. And that makes the next part even more fitting. Because while Eli Brickhandler fights for a future, Ohio State’s present rests on its newest star.

How Ohio State is winning with Julian Sayin 

Entering The Game, Julian Sayin leads the entire FBS with a 79.4% completion rate and a 185.38 QB rating, dropping 2,832 yards, 27 touchdowns, and just four interceptions. And yet, the one thing he hasn’t delivered is the one thing Ohio State fans crave – a signature moment. Saturday at The Big House, with a four-game losing streak to the rivals up north staring him down, he finally gets that shot.  

Michigan knows exactly what kind of monster they’re dealing with. Because even the Wolverines’ HC Sherrone Moore couldn’t hide it. He called Ohio State’s passing game “potent” and Julian Sayin’s play elite. He arrived in Columbus after first committing to Alabama, then jumping into the transfer portal when the Tide shifted direction. Ohio State didn’t ease him in, either. In the opener vs. No. 1 Texas, Ryan Day and Brian Hartline kept the playbook tight until the QB ripped a 40-yard touchdown to Carnell Tate that sealed a 14-7 win and launched a 13-week run at No. 1 in the AP Poll.

Julian Sayin is only the second FBS QB in 40 years to post three games with 300+ passing yards, 3 TDs, no interceptions, and 80% accuracy. His deep-ball grade (95.9) trails only Oregon’s Dante Moore. He’s 22-of-34 on throws over 20 air yards, 11 touchdowns, and zero picks. And with the Buckeyes staring down their season’s biggest moment, his cold-blooded efficiency is the edge Ohio State has been waiting to unleash.