Ohio State‘s quarterbacks aren’t allowing internal competition to prevent them from bonding. On Tuesday, Buckeyes QB Julian Sayin discussed his relationship with the other Buckeyes in the quarterback room. “In the spring, we only had three guys here in the room: me, Tavien [St. Clair] and Lincoln [Kienholz]. So, we were very close as a […]
Ohio State‘s quarterbacks aren’t allowing internal competition to prevent them from bonding. On Tuesday, Buckeyes QB Julian Sayin discussed his relationship with the other Buckeyes in the quarterback room.
“In the spring, we only had three guys here in the room: me, Tavien [St. Clair] and Lincoln [Kienholz]. So, we were very close as a group,” Sayin said. “That’s just grown over the summer, and then this camp. We’re a very close room, and Coach Fessler leads that… We compete every day, but we have each other’s backs, for sure.”
While Ohio State’s quarterback room might be friendly with one another, they’re also each determined to secure the Buckeyes’ starting spot behind center. Sayin transferred to Ohio State last offseason after spending his freshman year at Alabama.
He made four appearances for the Buckeyes last season, completing 5-of-his-12 pass attempts for 84 yards and a touchdown without throwing an interception. Sayin was the No. 8 overall prospect and No. 2 quarterback in the 2023 recruiting cycle, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking. Florida‘s DJ Lagway was the only quarterback rated higher than Sayin in the Class of 2023.
In comparison, Lincoln Kienholz was a four-star prospect and the No. 15 quarterback in the 2023 recruiting cycle. Kienholz didn’t see any action last season, but made two appearances during his freshman campaign.
Most notably, Kienholz played in a large portion of Ohio State’s 14-3 loss to Missouri in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic, after QB Devin Brown was sidelined with an injury. In the loss, Kienholz left much to be desired, only completing 6-of-his-17 passes for 86 yards.
He threw neither a touchdown nor an interception. As a true freshman, Tavien St. Clair has the least experience of all three of Ohio State’s quarterbacks. Nonetheless, he’s been included in the group’s hangouts since Day 1.
“We do quarterback stuff. We go over to Coach Fessler’s house and hang out. It’s a very tight room,” Julian Sayin said. “We hang out off the field and do a lot of stuff together, so it’s good. This summer, I know all the quarterbacks we were playing at P.I.G. at Coach Fessler’s house. It was fun.”
The Buckeyes won’t have much longer before they must name a starter. On Aug. 30, Ohio State will square off against Texas in its season-opener at noon ET. The game will air live on FOX.
Category: General Sports
