Redshirt freshman Julian Sayin named Buckeyes starting quarterback

COLUMBUS — Ohio State has its starting quarterback: Julian Sayin will start for the Buckeyes when they face top-ranked Texas on Aug. 30.

Buckeyes coach Ryan Day made the announcement Monday in his final press conference before the Buckeyes officially begin preparing for that matchup against the Longhorns this week.

A Carlsbad, California, native, Sayin was the No. 8 overall prospect in the 2024 recruiting class. He was the No. 2 quarterback and No. 1 player in the state of California, according to the Rivals Industry Rankings.

Sayin beat out redshirt sophomore Lincoln Kienholz for the Buckeyes starting gig.

Of course, he initially committed to, signed with and enrolled at Alabama under then-coach Nick Saban. When Saban retired, though, Sayin hit the transfer portal after just a few weeks in Tuscaloosa. That’s when he decided to choose Ohio State for his college football experience.

Now he’s the starting quarterback, beating out Kienholz in a major battle that made Day think back to the quarterback competition between Dwayne Haskins and Joe Burrow in 2018. Both quarterbacks gave the Buckeyes a chance to win big. Day and then-coach Urban Meyer decided Haskins was the right choice, and he went on to throw 50 touchdown passes in 2018.

“I remember kind of what it was with Dwayne and Joe,” Day said last week. “It was similar just in terms of the skill sets and their makeups. And so, it’s interesting to see as those two guys compete with each other.

“Nothing is exactly the same, but it’s similar in certain ways. Ultimately it comes down to how they perform on the field.”

Kienholz and Sayin both give Ohio State a chance to win big. Sayin won the battle to be the guy, though, thanks to a rise in his consistency over the last two weeks and his top-end talent that simply couldn’t be ignored.

Now the next step for the redshirt freshman is even more critical: winning over the locker room. Ohio State wants a true leader at starting quarterback, akin to what the Buckeyes had in Will Howard on the way to the national title a year ago. Sayin is growing in that regard.

“I feel like I’m developing in that area,” Sayin said earlier this month in training camp. “You know, in the weight room with [strength coach] Mick [Marotti], we’ve been focusing on that, trying to improve in the vocal leadership. And just as a team, we’re trying to grow our leaders.

” … I feel like I’m developing it. I think it has to be authentic. You know, you can’t be someone that you’re not. So, there’s definitely different styles of leadership, but I feel like I’m developing into that more vocal leadership role.”

He’ll need that now that he is officially the starting quarterback. His first test will come against Texas, the top-ranked team in the country.

Ohio State coach Ryan Day has decided Sayin is the guy for the job.