Examining College Football Expert's Polarizing Ohio State QB Opinion

One analyst thinks the Ohio State Buckeyes may end up replacing Will Howard with Julian Sayin by the end of the season, but is that a likely scenario?

Aug 1, 2024; Columbus, OH, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Julian Sayin (10) runs between drills during football camp at the Woody Hayes Athletic Complex. / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

The general expectation is that the Ohio State Buckeyes will have Will Howard as their starting quarterback for the 2024 season.

However, Ohio State's situation under center is not so cut and dry.

That's why ESPN's Paul Finebaum recently stated that he is actually believes Julian Sayin may grab hold of the job before the year's end.

Sayin is a freshman transfer from the University of Alabama and was a five-star signee when he initially committed to Alabama in 2023. However, he entered the transfer portal and eventually landed with the Buckeyes following the retirement of Nick Saban.

The 19-year-old is a dual threat will considerable arm talent and may very well be Ohio State's starting quarterback in the future.

But will it really occur as soon as 2024?

Howard does not have a stranglehold on the job. That much we know. If he did, Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day would have already announced him as the starter.

After all, Howard was solid but unspectacular at Kansas State last year, throwing for 2,643 yards, 24 touchdowns and 10 interceptions while completing 61.3 percent of his passes.

So while Howard may be the favorite to land the starting job (it would be a pretty big surprise if he didn't), that doesn't necessarily mean he will maintain it.

That also doesn't mean that Sayin is waiting in the wings.

Sayin is likely third on Ohio State's depth chart behind Howard and Devin Brown, who is actually headed into his third season at Columbus. Brown has only thrown 28 passes thus far in his collegiate career, but because he is more familiar with the system and has at least a little bit of skin in the game, you have to figure he would be the top alternative to Howard at the moment.

It also seems relatively unlikely that Day will hand over the reins to a true freshman. After all, the Buckeyes haven't done that since Braxton Miller over a decade ago.

Sayin may be the popular choice among fans. He may very well be the future at signal-caller for Ohio State, and he was the top-rated quarterback from the 2024 recruiting class for a reason.

So it's not shocking that Finebaum (or any analyst) would label Sayin as the most likely candidate to supplant Howard if the latter struggles.

It just doesn't seem very probable.

And remember: this is all operating under the hypothetical that Howard is uninspiring. Who knows? He could light it up for the Buckeyes, especially with all of the talent he will have around him.

In the event that Howard falls short of expectations, Brown would in all likelihood be next in line to replace him.

Sayin will almost definitely have his moment in the sun. It probably just won't be in 2024.