If you ask around Buckeye Nation right now, you're going to find a lot of people feeling the exact same way: Why hasn’t Ryan Day just named Julian Sayin the starter already?
We all get that this is college football in 2025, and you have to be super careful about pushing guys out the door. One slip-up, one perceived slight, and someone’s hopping into the transfer portal faster but now the portal window is closed and fans are tired of waiting. They're tired of the mystery. And Ryan Day’s conservative approach to this quarterback battle is only testing their patience even more.
Yes, Kienholz has clearly improved and deserves credit for making this a competition. Ryan Day even said that it’s basically a two-horse race now between Sayin and Kienholz after Tavien St. Clair — the young 5-star freshman — was effectively eliminated from serious starting consideration. But even with the competition narrowing down, fans were kind of hoping that by now, there would be a definitive "Julian Sayin is our guy" moment.
And that moment hasn’t come.
Instead, Day keeps emphasizing that there’s been growth from all the quarterbacks, but also inconsistency. Some days are good. Some days aren't. It's the classic coach-speak of "they're learning and growing," and while that's all good and fine behind closed doors, it’s not exactly what fans want to hear when they’re gearing up for a season where Ohio State expects to be squarely back in the national championship conversation.
The latest on Ohio State's quarterback competition
The truth is, most fans understand why Day was doing this. The last thing he wants is to name Sayin the starter in April, only to have Kienholz immediately hit the portal and leave the team short on depth. In today’s college football world, you have to walk on eggshells when it comes to roster management — especially at quarterback. Even now with the portal closed, it's easier to keep players motivated through the summer than to go ahead and name a starter months before fall camp starts.
From a fan's perspective, though, it's not just about wanting a starter. It’s about wanting certainty. It’s about wanting to know that the guy who’s going to be leading this team is ready to hit the ground running from Day 1. When you have as much riding on this season as Ohio State does — with a loaded roster, a real shot at revenge on Michigan, and a chance to win the Big Ten and make a legitimate national title run — you don’t want any hesitation at the most important position on the field.
And if there is a true battle brewing, what does that say about Julian Sayin? Is he truly not ready to be the guy?
For now, Ryan Day is sticking to his plan. Julian Sayin and Lincoln Kienholz will keep battling it out, likely into the summer, and we might not have an answer until right before the season kicks off. Maybe Day really is seeing a closer competition than fans realize. Maybe he’s just doing everything he can to keep both quarterbacks engaged and motivated.
But if you’re a fan? It’s hard not to feel like this whole thing is being drawn out way longer than it needs to be.