What Ohio State’s appointment of starting quarterback means for Julian Sayin, Lincoln Kienholz and Air Noland
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State’s quarterback situation has clearly split into two groups, with one of the players bouncing back and forth while the others stay in place.
One group included players who had a realistic chance of being in the starting eleven in 2024. The other group included guys who understood that their main focus had to be on development.
Will Howard and Devin Brown were in the first group. Howard came from Kansas State and was the favorite to get the job, which he did on Thursday. Brown entered his second fight after losing to Kyle McCord – who transferred to Syracuse in 2023 – hoping for a different outcome.
At the start of the season, these two are now QB1 and QB2.
Lincoln Kienholz and Air Noland headline the other group. Kienholz got his start last season as a true freshman who didn’t enroll early, then was thrown in at the deep end when Brown was injured in the Cotton Bowl loss to Missouri.
Noland is a true freshman whose first three weeks of fall camp suggest he needs to focus on the future.
And then there’s Julian Sayin, the five-star quarterback in the 2024 class who originally signed with Alabama before Nick Saban’s resignation gave him the chance to transfer. He bounced between the two groups, making a strong first impression in the spring and continuing that into the beginning of training camp. But eventually the freshman wall hit him and it seems he slacked off a bit, dimming any thoughts of what’s possible for him this season.
For now, Sayin will be in the group with Kienholz and Noland. The fact that head coach Ryan Day finally named Howard the starter on Thursday doesn’t change what the trio is focused on. But he will be the one to keep an eye on over the next two months to see if he can earn more.
For the Buckeyes, the hierarchy at the quarterback position is set for now. Howard leads the team and Brown is ready to step in if needed.
Maybe Sayin will join that group by making the battle for the backup quarterback interesting. But for now, the three young guys are working toward January, when the next battle for the quarterback position begins.
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