Ryan Day provides latest update on QB battle during B1G Media Days

Ryan Day knows that 5-star phenom Julian Sayin has waited his turn to be the man under center for Ohio State.

But that doesn’t mean Sayin, who transferred from Alabama just days after Nick Saban’s retirement in January of 2024, is entitled to the starting quarterback position in 2025. Sayin has real competition in the battle to be Will Howard’s successor for the defending national champions, and his name is Lincoln Kienholz.

Kienholz has been in Ryan Day’s program since 2023, so he’s waited his turn, too. On Tuesday, during his session with reporters at B1G Media Days in Las Vegas, Day proclaimed the quarterback competition as neck-and-neck between Sayin and Kienholz.

With the much-anticipated College Football Playoff semifinal rematch with Texas just over a month away as the Buckeyes open defense of their title, that means preseason camp is the only thing standing between the present and a final QB decision for the Aug. 30 opener.

Day told reporters that preseason camp will mean everything when it comes to choosing between Sayin and Kienholz. The Ohio State head coach said that he and the offensive staff are “going to put them in as many competitive situations as we possibly can” at preseason camp.

Ryan Day said he still views the quarterback competition between Julian Sayin and Lincoln Kienholz as neck-and-neck.

Day said the Buckeyes are “going to put them in as many competitive situations as we possibly can” during preseason camp.

— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) July 22, 2025

So, it will all come down to who performs best in the August heat of Columbus.

Come late August, when the Longhorns invade Ohio Stadium, 1 of those 2 supreme talents will get the nod to finally be the guy.