Ohio State has named Julian Sayin as its starting quarterback.
Coach Ryan Day made the announcement on Aug. 18, putting the redshirt freshman from Southern California in line to be behind center when the Buckeyes open their season against top-ranked Texas in less than two weeks.
Sayin beat out redshirt sophomore Lincoln Kienholz for the starting job in a position battle that began in spring practice and continued throughout preseason training camp.
Day said Sayin separated himself over the last week of practices, which included a scrimmage over the weekend.
“Overall Julian was more consistent,” Day said.
Day met quickly with both of the quarterbacks earlier in the morning to inform them of the decision.
The timing of the announcement followed a familiar pattern for Day, who has settled all but one of the quarterback competitions in his tenure around two weeks before the season opener. The Buckeyes are now expected to transition to game prep ahead of their top-five matchup with the Longhorns.
Sayin fits the profile of the typical quarterback drawn to Columbus in recent years. He was ranked as the top high school quarterback recruit in the nation in the class of 2024 and has been regarded for his polish as a passer. Day compared Sayin to former record-setting quarterback Dwayne Haskins Jr. early in camp, noting the quickness of his release.
But Sayin’s path to joining the Buckeyes included a slight detour. He signed with Alabama in late 2023, then left for Ohio State weeks later in the aftermath of the retirement of legendary coach Nick Saban, a decision that reopened the transfer portal for the Crimson Tide’s players.
Sayin was the Buckeyes’ No. 3 quarterback as a freshman last fall, sitting behind Will Howard and Devin Brown on the depth chart, and appeared in four games, including three in the regular season, qualifying for a redshirt. He completed five of 12 passes for 84 yards and ran twice for 24 yards.
It’ll be the first time since 2021 that the Buckeyes turn to a quarterback without any previous starting experience in college.
Howard, who transferred to Ohio State from Kansas State last year, had made 25 career starts with the Wildcats, and even McCord, who won the starting job in 2023, had once started against Akron as a freshman two earlier as C.J. Stroud rested an injured shoulder.
The experience of Kienholz is also limited. Most of his 68 career snaps came in 2023 when he replaced Brown due to injury in a loss to Missouri in the Cotton Bowl.
Joey Kaufman covers Ohio State football for The Columbus Dispatch. Email him at [email protected] and follow along on Bluesky, Instagram and X for more.
This story was updated to add a gallery and new information.