Ohio State is hoping to retain its National Championship title as it enters the 2025 season. The problem is, Ryan Day will have some new faces running the show. He will have a new QB to continue the momentum set by Will Howard. The QB1 race is appearing to be a fierce fight between Julian Sayin and Lincoln Kienholz. It’s going to be a tough pick for Day because his starter has to match up with some strong opponents on the schedule. He spoke about the current situation in that QB1 room ahead of his appearance at the Big 10 Media Days.

The Buckeye HC is not ready to show his hand just yet. He is keeping Julian Sayin away from the Big 10 Media Days to be the only source of information about the QB room. Sayin, Kienholz, and Tavien St. Claire have all stepped up at different points in time in the off-season to be the successor of Will Howard. However, their inexperience in playing for such a marquee football program does pose some question marks. The winner of this race will have to outsmart QBs like Arch Manning and Bryce Underwood. They’re not all, of course, with the other top match-ups being Nico Iamaleava, Demond Williams, and Drew Allar.

Day spoke about his thoughts on the QB1 race in a July 17 episode of The Bobby Carpenter Show. “I would say that there’s times where I’ve gone into this part of the season where I feel like I know or have a feeling on where it’s going. I don’t right now,” he said.

“Julian and Lincoln both have done some really good things here in the offseason. They’re getting stronger. Talking to Mick [Marotti], there’s been really good leadership. The ball’s coming out of their hand good right now,” he said. Day also had good things to say about St. Claire, but the QB needs “the first half of the season to grow.”

Sayin ruled the 2024 class as the No. 2 QB, coming with an impressive record of 7,824 yards and 10 TDs. He transferred out of Alabama after enrolling early, probably changing the course of the Tide’s current QB1 race as well. Kienholz, on the other hand, has spent two years in the OSU system and comes with 111 yards into the 2025 season. Their slates are essentially still clean when it comes to seeing the action that is synonymous with Ohio State football. There remain two question marks in the Buckeyes’ offense, a unit that is otherwise primed to go big in the 2025 season. One of Ohio State’s own also threw light on this uncertainty ahead of the season.

Cardale Jones’ thoughts on Ryan Day’s QB1 race

Ryan Day will be debuting a fairly inexperienced quarterback as the leader of OSU’s offense. The QB1 position at Columbus is easily one of the flashiest ones in college football. But it’s also one that is extremely demanding. “You’re going to find yourself in situations, no matter which quarterback it is… [The] lack of experience is going to show,” Cardale Jones said in a July 10 chat with 97.1 The Fan. Jones himself has been in a similar situation, being forced to show up with minimal experience on the field in the 2014 season. And he led the Buckeyes to a National Championship Victory for the season.

However, both QBs are doing their level best in Jones’ eyes. “Both guys are more than capable enough of leading this team to a lot of wins and putting themselves in a great position to ultimately do the things they potentially want to do at the next level,” he added. It’s quite the dilemma for Ryan Day. Because the two have pros and cons that fit like a perfect jigsaw puzzle. Where Sayin, Kienholz shows up: with experience. And vice versa, it’s where Julian Sayin shines when it comes to credentials and skill.

“I think the biggest thing I’ve seen from both of those guys is that they wanted to be perfect. And you’re never going to be perfect, and you feel that pressure on yourself to be perfect because you know what’s riding on the line,” Jones said, which sums up what it is to be the starting quarterback of the Ohio State Buckeyes. And with a Natty to defend, the QB1 question gets more complex for Ryan Day. Will Sayin turn out to be the uncontested winner? Or will Lincoln Kienholz force the young star to wait another year for the job?