Ohio State Buckeyes Make an ESPN List They Don't Want to Be Included in

The Ohio State Buckeyes have had some of the best quarterbacks in the country at Columbus over the past decade. Hopefully, moving forward, that's a trend that continues, and with former five-star star quarterback Julian Sayin primed to start for the Buckeyes, they have high expectations for the position in 2025.

Sayin was the No. 3-ranked quarterback in the Class of 2024 and started his career off with Alabama before sitting behind Will Howard for a season. Now, it is his time to shine, but who is next up after Sayin? Five-star recruit Tavien St. Clair is the obvious answer, but ESPN thinks that the Buckeyes may be in the market for a quarterback in 2026.

The World Wide Leader in Sports broke down the most QB-needy college football programs for the 2026 season, and the Buckeyes cracked the list. However, they were a tier 3 team, so they clearly don't have much urgency to add to the position.

Here's a part of what Eli Lederman wrote on the Buckeyes.

"However, the Buckeyes haven't been entirely quiet around the current quarterback class, notably hosting top uncommitted passer Ryder Lyons (No. 50 in ESPN 300) and Bentley for visits earlier this spring. More recently, Michigan State commit Kayd Coffman spent a day on campus with the Ohio State staff last month, though the Buckeyes have not yet formally offered ESPN's fifth-ranked dual-threat prospect. Expect Ohio State to linger as a potential flip contender for multiple prospects across the country from now to the early signing period," Lederman wrote in his column.

Ohio State isn't the only shocking name on the third tier. The Oregon Ducks and Alabama Crimson Tide, both of which have solid young options, also cracked that tier and could find themselves going through the transfer portal for their next rising star.

That said, the most notable programs that were in the top tier of needing to land a star were LSU, Florida State and Ole Miss, so the SEC may be in trouble of losing a few powerhouse contenders if two of those three programs aren't able to reload.