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via Imago

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via Imago

Every year, the Buckeyes enter camp with the next chosen one at quarterback, and every year, the rumor mill churns at full speed. This summer, all eyes are glued to the Woody Hayes Athletic Center. With a national title glow still lingering and Texas looming on the schedule, you can practically hear the pulse of Buckeye Nation: Who’s steering Ryan Day’s loaded, high-expectation ship when the real bullets start flying?

For days, the answer seemed as murky as ever. Redshirt sophomore Lincoln Kienholz, the South Dakota dynamo with size and smooth athleticism, showed flashes early. Freshman Tavien St. Clair turned heads with pure raw arm strength. The staff kept the rotation rolling, the fan debates went a mile a minute, and every first-team rep felt like a referendum on the future. Would experience and upside win the day? Or would this be the fall where poise, IQ, and an ‘it’ factor under pressure decide the Buckeyes’ fate under center?

And then came Day 3. Suddenly, what seemed like a balanced QB race tipped in one’s favor. And by all accounts, it’s redshirt freshman Julian Sayin taking pole position in the race. On Buckeye Huddle, analyst Juck Miletti put it plainly. He said, “I’ve been a big-time believer in Julian since he was a high school prospect… the dude was born to be a quarterback. Has been training for this since he was a little kid.” Miletti didn’t shy away from the one knock on Sayin: his “slight build,” but added, “That’s it. Everything else perfect. He’s like the perfect prodigy.” When it comes to matching the qualities Ryan Day wants in a quarterback, “a guy that specializes in what Julian Sayin can do well… that’s why I think ultimately, while Lincoln could outplay him and yes, he could win it, it is a real competition. But in the end, this is really an uphill battle for Lincoln.” Miletti continued. The competition is still on, but as the days pass, Julian shows a clear lead among his peers for the starting role of QB.

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And if you’re looking for on-field evidence, here’s it. On the field, Sayin’s performance spoke for itself. During crucial 11-on-11s, he completed all four of his passes with the first team, including a highlight, “third-and-4” strike deep down the sideline to All-American Jeremiah Smith, who made a spectacular one-handed grab in tight coverage. Observers reported that Sayin was not only the more accurate QB but also looked at ease operating with starters, stringing together the kind of efficient, mistake-free drive that defines Ryan Day’s ideal signal-caller. Meanwhile, Kienholz, impressive in his own ways, completed just one of six passes with the second team in his final turn, making it clear this isn’t a dead heat anymore.

After three high-intensity days, Buckeye fans have their clear answer yet. Sayin’s grip on the QB1 spot might not be ‘official,’ but momentum and command are squarely on his side. If Day’s history is any guide, fundamentals, field vision, and leadership, all boxes checked by Sayin this camp, will keep earning more first-team looks as August grinds on. The competition isn’t over, and the coaches insist they’ll need more than one guy ready, but the narrative’s shifted: it’s Julian Sayin’s job to lose. As Ohio State reloads for one more national run, the prodigy is making the biggest case yet that the future is right now in Columbus.

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What’s your perspective on:

Is Julian Sayin the next big thing for the Buckeyes, or is it too soon to tell?

Have an interesting take?

Sayin’s arm strength becomes his calling card

The conversation around Julian Sayin has flipped dramatically in Columbus, and it’s his arm strength, once the subject of skepticism, that’s driving the narrative. For months, analysts like PFF called out his “lack of overwhelming arm strength,” stacking it next to his “sharp fundamentals, timing, and accuracy” as the keys he’d need to rely on. But Sayin’s viral deep throws in fall camp have put him firmly atop the Buckeyes’ quarterback pecking order and given fans concrete proof that he’s more than just a system passer.

Backing this up, tweets from experts like Anand Nanduri make the QB position less contested. Travis St. Clair’s recent critique, “Tavien St. Clair has a different level of arm strength than the other QBs, but the game is still too fast for him right now,” was intended to highlight St. Clair’s raw tools, but, in context, actually underscores Sayin’s growing advantage. 

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Where St. Clair’s physical gifts stand out, it’s Sayin’s blend of live-arm throws and poise in Ryan Day’s system that now sets the standard. Former concerns about Sayin’s arm are now being erased by his on-field confidence and the tangible results seen every day at practice. The result? Instead of holding him back, early doubts about Sayin’s arm strength have become a kind of reverse endorsement: the more he’s doubted, the more impressively he answers, and the more his stock rises relative to his competition.

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"Is Julian Sayin the next big thing for the Buckeyes, or is it too soon to tell?"

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