The Ohio State Buckeyes are still enjoying a College Football Playoff run that culminated with a national championship. While they’ve lost quite a bit from that national championship squad, there are rumblings they aren’t worried about replacing Will Howard.
Despite losing Air Noland to South Carolina via the transfer portal, Ryan Day and his offense are ready to reload at the most important position on the field. It’s not just Day and the staff hyping up Howard’s incumbent, it’s former players too.
Speaking of Noland, he shed some light on why he was ready to leave Columbus for warmer South Carolina to presumably be the backup (again).
We’ll also dive into an Ohio lawmaker who's looking to push back on streaming-only games. While Ohio lawmakers have been irrational when it comes to the Buckeyes (see the fallout from Michigan’s flag plant in Ohio Stadium), this one is more level-headed.
Here’s an offseason primer for Ohio State as they get ready for spring ball and then to defend their national championship.
Julian Sayin is getting all the love as the expected starter
There’s a lot of hype around Julian Sayin in Columbus. According to a Columbus Dispatch story, former players, including Will Howard, are all in on Sayin.
He transferred to Ohio State from Alabama in January 2024. He transferred in the fall out of former Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban announcing his retirement. He landed at Ohio State and is now about to take over the offense.
Along with receiving praise from Howard, Emeka Egbuka, called Sayin one of the most exciting freshmen he’s seen, including Jeremiah Smith.
Sayin hasn’t had a lot of game experience, thanks to being the third-string option. But with Howard graduating and Devin Brown and Air Noland elsewhere, it’s now his opportunity to take over the offense.
Ryan Day needs a quarterback. That’s the one thing that’s held him back during his tenure. Every quarterback he’s coached since taking over, for the most part, has been a transfer portal acquisition.
Sure Sayin was a transfer portal addition as well, but it was a little more unique in that he wasn’t even in Tuscaloosa for a month. Day will get a pass on Sayin in my book since they did recruit him out of high school.
If Sayin can be the next great quarterback from Ohio State like all the former players are claiming, then good on him and good on Day for finally getting one. But being the quarterback at Ohio State is a different type of pressure; just ask Kyle McCord.
Air Noland sheds light on his decision to part ways with Ohio State
Air Noland deciding to leave Ohio State was an odd decision, in terms of the timing of it. Unless it was a situation similar to Jaden Rashada leaving Georgia where he could read between the lines and knew he wasn’t going to work his way to the top of the depth chart, it didn’t make much sense at first.
It was even more puzzling he landed at South Carolina after LeNorris Sellers opted to return to the Gamecocks despite speculation that he’d chase the money in the transfer portal. Then again, going to South Carolina might not be a bad thing.
Presumed South Carolina starter Lanoris Sellers may not be a high draft prospect in two years when he’s eligible, and even with his success last year, it’s hard to believe Sellers will spend three years as a backup. The move was odd, but Noland described how the coaching staff and proximity to where he’s from played a role.
Ohio lawmakers push to ban streaming only games for the Buckeyes
According to a story in NBC4i.com out of Columbus, an Ohio lawmaker, Bill DeMora, is pushing to get a bill signed to keep Ohio State from playing on streaming only services. And I must say, this bill is far more rational than the one to ban flag planting.
The problem with this is, the bill would only impact future contracts. The current contract to stream some games on Peacock goes until 2029. So nothing will change right away. That said, it’s a step in the right direction.
Ohio State is a big enough brand, though, that it was a brilliant move by Peacock to try and boost subscriptions. Streaming services are taking over sports. It’s happening in every major sport, so it’s no surprise somebody is ready to push back.