If Sayin isn’t ready to be the leader and playmaker the Buckeyes need, they likely won’t reach their ultimate goals in 2025. It’s that simple. We saw something similar unfold with Kyle McCord a couple of seasons ago. How quickly a starter is named in fall camp may be very telling.

Sayin is one of the key questions facing OSU, writes ESPN's Bill Connelly.

SportsLine college football expert Thomas Casale shares his best Ohio State Buckeyes futures pick for the 2025 season

After moving on from the one-year stint of Will Howard, Julian Sayin enters fall camp as the favorite to start when Ohio State opens the season against the Texas Longhorns on Aug. 30. Sayin, a former five-star recruit, is battling junior Lincoln Kienholz for the starting job. He recently spoke about how he’s grown as a quarterback this summer.

Kienholz, who committed to Ohio State in 2023, saw some gametime in his freshman year when he replaced an injured Devin Brown at the Cotton Bowl. Kienholz completed six of 17 passes for 86 yards in that game. However, he did not make any pass attempts for Ohio State last season.

From left, Ohio State Buckeyes quarterbacks Lincoln Kienholz (3), Julian Sayin (10) and Tavien St. Clair (9) drop back to pass during spring football practice at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center in Columbus on March 19, 2025. / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

There are some questions about Ohio State's running game. The team lost both TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins to the NFL Draft. Day brought in CJ Donaldson via the transfer portal and James Peoples will be back with an increased role as well.

Julian Sayin and Lincoln Kienholz's quarterback battle at Ohio State continues to draw attention. The signal-callers observed Will Howard lead Ryan Day's program to a national title in 2024 from the sidelines.

Ohio State has a lot of talent, but the loss of 14 draft picks leaves plenty of storylines to monitor ahead of Week 1 against Texas.