Ohio State Buckeyes' QB Competition is Becoming Unsettling

The Ohio State Buckeyes are searching for an answer under center heading into the 2025 college football season, and initially, it appeared that Julian Sayin was the odds-on favorite to win the starting quarterback job. But now, things have taken an unfortunate twist.

Sayin has been struggling in spring practice. Or, at the very least, he has been underwhelming. It's something we have already discussed here, but it doesn't appear to be getting any better, and Lincoln Kienholz—who had evidently been outplaying Sayin—hasn't looked great lately, either.

As a matter of fact, Eleven Warriors noted that it was actually true freshman Tavien St. Clair who had the best showing during Ohio State's second-to-last practice on Friday, and the chances of the 18-year-old actually getting the bulk of the snaps next season seem rather improbable.

So, what does this mean for the Buckeyes? Well, at the current point in time, it's becoming very clear that it's going to be exceedingly difficult for Ryan Day's club to defend its national championship, and Ohio State fans may ultimately miss Will Howard dearly next fall.

Of course, it's still early. Sayin could always turn things around, but the ample pressure that has been placed on his shoulders could very well be overwhelming the youngster. And who could blame him for feeling stressed? He's still just a teenager, and in spite of throwing all of 12 passes last season, he has been garnering early Heisman Trophy buzz.

Couple that with the fact that Sayin is preparing to play quarterback for one of the most prestigious football programs in the country, and anyone should be able to understand that it's a lot to handle.

The problem is that the Buckeyes may have been thrown a curveball here, as they were surely expecting a better performance from the uber-talented Sayin over the last several weeks. And now, they have a very serious question to solve regarding the quarterback position.

Could the more experienced Kienholz really be the solution? Or will Sayin catch fire heading into the summer and establish himself as the obvious choice? Sorry, but I'm having a hard time buying the idea of St. Clair starting right off the bat. It just seems like a disaster waiting to happen.

Either way, Ohio State may be in for a ride that it never anticipated, and not in a good way.