Julian Sayin will get the first crack at quarterback for reigning-champion Ohio State.
Head coach Ryan Day named the sophomore as his starting QB for the No. 3 Buckeyes’ highly anticipated season-opening showdown against Arch Manning and No. 1 Texas at Ohio Stadium on Aug. 30.
Sayin beat out junior Lincoln Kienholz for the job.
“Our guys are confident again with both quarterbacks, we’ll need both quarterbacks,” Day told reporters Monday, per ESPN. “Lincoln did a lot of great things, but we’re going to name Julian the starter here, give him the majority of the reps with the [starters] and go prepare to beat Texas.”
Sayin was a top-10 national recruit from the class of 2024, who originally signed with Alabama before transferring once Nick Saban retired.
He appeared in four games last season for Ohio State and was on the field for 27 offensive snaps.
Sayin was 5-for-12 with 84 yards and a touchdown.
Kienholz hasn’t appeared in a game since 2023.
“You’re always looking for consistency and taking care of the football,” Day said. “When you start with practice 1 in the spring and do a study on the entire growth over six months, you can see there’s a lot of growth made. You look at the numbers and the production, we felt like [Sayin] was in a situation where he was ready to go play in this game.
“We also feel like Lincoln’s ready to play, but overall, Julian is more consistent.”
Ohio State defeated Texas 28-14 in the CFP semifinals before beating Notre Dame to win the national championship.
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