It is not everything, but it is something. Not to say that we have come to any definitive conclusion regarding the Ohio State Buckeyes' high-profile quarterback race, but we can probably cross off one of the contenders. Paul Harvey of Saturday Tradition did a great job of breaking down what he saw from Columbus last weekend. It seems as though it is not going to be Tavien St. Clair's team just yet.
Throughout much of spring practice, Lincoln Kienholz seemed to be the most steady of the three quarterbacks. During Saturday's scrimmage, Sayin put his five-star rating where his mouth is. From the looks of it, Sayin may very well end up being the guy come September, but we would all be foolish to say he has won it going away. Kienholz has been with the team the longest. Ryan Day knows this.
What we also have to remember is that Brian Hartline will be calling the plays as the recently promoted offensive coordinator. Chip Kelly is no longer part of the program, as he is taking over as Pete Carroll's offensive coordinator for the Las Vegas Raiders. Whoever Day trusts can run Hartline's system the best will probably get the start. Will that be Sayin or Kienholz in the end? We shall see...
All I know is St. Clair's two interceptions in the scrimmage took away more than what good he did.
Ohio State QB race offers a bit of clarity after Saturday's big scrimmage
I may go back and forth on who I think is going to win the starting job in Week 1 for the Buckeyes, but I have been consistent in my evaluation. If it is too close to call, it will be Sayin, mostly because he offers a higher upside than Kienholz, all things equal. Conversely, the longer this battle goes on, the more likely it will be Kienholz. Simply put, Sayin needs to prove that he is the better option to win it.
That is the beautiful part in all this. The best player will play. I may have Ohio State as one of four locks to make the College Football Playoff alongside Clemson, Penn State and Texas, but I have my reasons why they are the least likely of the four to win the whole thing. Ohio State has won multiple national championships in my lifetime, but I cannot recall them winning national titles back-to-back before...
To wrap this up, it will be a battle between Sayin becoming more concise and Kienholz elevating his ceiling. Can Sayin raise his floor faster than Kienholz can raise his ceiling? What should be noted is ball security is job security, theirs and Ryan Day's. Because Hartline will be a first-time play-caller, I would venture to guess that Ohio State may end up going with a higher floor than highest ceiling.
That being said, I would not be shocked to see both quarterbacks play at times during this season.