There's still a long way until the 2025 college football season kicks off in August (roughly three and a half months) but spring ball has offered some pretty juicy roster battles.
The transfer portal saw multiple big names switch teams in the last month. But for those that decided to stay at their respective programs and duke it out for their starting jobs, the drama is just beginning.
Specifically, folks are keeping a close eye on Columbus, Ohio, where the reigning national champion Ohio State Buckeyes are preparing to defend their title without a significant number of players from 2024.
Ryan Day tips hand on spring QB battle ahead of 2025 season
On Thursday, head coach Ryan Day reportedly gave his insight into the programs QB battle between five-star freshmen Julian Sayin and red shirt sophomore Lincoln Kienholz. His answer was shocking to those that believed Sayin was the heir apparent to the Buckeye QB throne.
“Ryan Day saying that he thought Lincoln was in the lead headed into the spring game, and then Julian did what he did,” Cleveland.com reporter Stephen Means said on a recent episode of Buckeye Talk.
“Yeah, because I think we saw those practices where it looked like Lincoln Kienholz was at," reporter Stefan Krajisnik answered on the podcast. "I do believe [Day], because I think we saw those practices where it looked like Lincoln Kienholz was ahead and Julian Sayin was not having the most crisp of performances, at least when the media was there, at least during those open sessions.”
Kienholz has a slight leg up on Sayin after spending the 2023 season behind starter Kyle McCord and 2024 behind Will Howard. He made three appearances two years ago and logged just 111 passing yards on 22 attempts.
Being given that time to develop may have Day seeing more potential out of Kienholz than he currently sees out of Sayin.
For now, Sayin has the benefit of the doubt because there's still a lot of time remaining before fall camp where the prospect's performance will matter most. However, that being said, the practices in Columbus are going to deserve a lot more attention than they've previously gotten if Day's decision is truly this wide open.