Ryan Day isn’t locked into Will Howard being Ohio State’s starting QB

Ryan Day has left the quarterback competition at Ohio State open as the team heads into Saturday’s spring game, though he has acknowledged that certain players are beginning to stand out in the team’s talented and experienced quarterback group. 

The Ohio State coach spoke on Wednesday and told reporters that he's "seeing some separation" in the team's battle of quarterbacks.

"I don't think we've narrowed it down, but you're seeing guys make certain plays and certain things that are showing up in practice," Day said. "As we start to get into some of the movement stuff, and you get into situational things, you're starting to just see commonalities. A lot of these guys bring great things to the table. Each guy brings either an experience or a skill set that's different from the others."

He praised the diverse skills of the Buckeyes’ quarterbacks and emphasized his desire for "consistency" in determining who will secure the starting position. He said:

"The good news is they all can move and that's certainly made an impact on the run game, and the pass game, you know, there's good things there. There's still things that they're improving on but you're seeing some separation and I wouldn't say (I'm ready to) name a starter or anything like that, but there's been good competition and guys have made plays."

Will Howard, a fifth-year senior transfer from Kansas State, entered spring practices as the anticipated top pick for the quarterback spot. At Kansas State, he was instrumental in winning the Big 12 championship in 2022 and recorded 2,190 passing yards, 21 touchdowns, eight interceptions, and added 300 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground last season.

Day commented on Howard’s dedication, noting his long hours at the team facilities and the challenging scenarios they have set up for him on the field to test his resilience.

Another significant contender is Julian Sayin, a freshman and five-star recruit from the Class of 2024 who joined Ohio State in January after initially enrolling early at Alabama. Day pointed out that under the guidance of new offensive coordinator Chip Kelly, quarterbacks have been getting equal opportunities in practice, and Sayin is certainly in the mix for the starting role.

"He's in the mix," Day said of Sayin. "Chip really rolls them. It doesn't matter if the ones, twos or threes, so you get an opportunity to see what guys look like. I think, sometimes, when you're young, you get two or three work, and sometimes it can look like a mess out there. And so this has been a really good sample size to figure out where guys are at. But Julian's been competing his tail off and he'll continue to do that and he's got a very bright future. He's gonna have a really good summer."

Ryan Day adds mystery to Ohio State QB battle in spring

While Howard and Sayin are the newer faces in the lineup, Day has previously shown no hesitation in starting transfer quarterbacks like Justin Fields, who took the lead in 2019 after moving from Georgia.

However, over the last three years, quarterbacks recruited directly from high school, including last year’s starter Kyle McCord, have been at the helm. McCord's transfer to Syracuse positions Devin Brown as a strong candidate familiar with Ohio State’s system from last year’s competitions.

Brown and McCord’s contest extended into the early part of last season before Day made his final decision on the starter. Day has not set a specific date for announcing this season’s starting quarterback, stressing that the focus of spring practices is on overall preparation.

"Right now the focus is just getting these guys as many reps as we can, evaluating them, but as we head into the preseason into the end of the season, that probably means getting guys reps in the game, so that they don't get put into a situation where they haven't played a lot of football before."