Departing Buckeyes believe Julian Sayin is Ohio State's next QB1 - ESPN

COLUMBUS, Ohio — At the NFL scouting combine last month in Indianapolis, Ohio State's draft hopefuls talked about Julian Sayin as the likely choice to be the team's next starting quarterback.

«Julian's that guy, to be honest with you,» cornerback Denzel Burke told reporters.

«Now it's his time,» added quarterback Will Howard, the man Sayin and two others will try to replace for the defending national champions.

But Sayin isn't viewing the starting job as his quite yet. The redshirt freshman is focused on spring practice, which kicked off Monday, and operating in a quarterbacks room that has been reduced by Howard's exit and the transfers of Devin Brown (Cal) and Air Noland (South Carolina). Junior Lincoln Kienholz and freshman Tavien St. Clair, a midyear enrollee, were the other two quarterbacks practicing Wednesday.

«You have to block out the noise,» said Sayin, who transferred to Ohio State from Alabama after Nick Saban retired in January 2024. «I'm just focusing on spring practice and just getting better.»

Quarterbacks coach Billy Fessler said Ohio State is «a long way away» from even discussing the closeness of the competition. Fessler, promoted to quarterbacks coach after serving as an offensive analyst last season, is evaluating how the three quarterbacks handle more practice reps, and areas such as consistency and toughness.

He's confident any of the three can handle being Ohio State's starting quarterback and the magnitude the job brings, even though none have the experience Howard brought in when he transferred from Kansas State.

«A lot of that was done in the recruitment process,» Fessler said. «I'm confident all three of them could be the guy. Those guys already check that box. So now it's just a matter of who