As the 2026 college football season inches closer, here are three storylines to watch for in the Ohio State quarterback room.

In an era where we see new faces under center every year for some schools, the 2026 Ohio State Buckeyes have the luxury of a familiar face taking snaps under center for them. Julian Sayin is back and ready for another big year in his second year as a starter for Ryan Day’s squad.

Last season was an overall solid season but also underwhelming, depending on who you ask. The Scarlet and Gray finished the regular season 12-0 with a 9-0 conference record, with a win over the No. 1-ranked Texas Longhorns team to start it and revenge at the No. 15-ranked Michigan to end it.

Those were the two wins that stood out, and they happened on polar opposite sides of the regular season. The Buckeyes handled business every week but were not tested too much, with other solid wins coming at Washington, at Illinois, and vs Penn State. The reason many were left feeling empty-handed after the season is the two straight losses to end an otherwise great year.

The scorching-hot Indiana Hoosiers, led by Curt Cignetti, won a defensive battle over Ryan Day’s Buckeyes in Indianapolis in the Big Ten Championship 13-10. Still, both teams knew they were solidly in the College Football Playoff field, and both ended up receiving byes.

A few weeks later, the scarlet and gray lost their second-straight game, which ended their season, as they fell at the hands of the Miami Hurricanes 24-14 in Dallas in the Cotton Bowl. The Hurricanes and Hoosiers would end up meeting in the College Football National Championship, making the two losses the Buckeyes had look just a little better.

In a year with a win over the top-ranked team, avenging recent losses to your rival, and the only two losses coming at the end of the year, the Buckeyes will come back ready to make some noise in what will be the final year for many of their stars. Here are some storylines to watch for in the quarterback room, which will look a little different this season.

Can Julian Sayin Repeat Last Season’s Record-Breaking Success?

The Buckeyes had three of the top-nine players in the Heisman Trophy voting last season, led by Quarterback Julian Sayin, who received an invite to New York and finished 4th behind Fernando Mendoza, Diego Pavia, and Jeremiah Love. One of the most impressive parts of Sayin’s game in his first year as the starter in Columbus was his accuracy.

Sayin completed 77 percent of his passes last season, which is the best mark by an Ohio State quarterback in program history. He completed 301 of his 391 attempts for 3,610 yards with 32 passing touchdowns and eight interceptions (four of which came in the final three games).

Sayin was great against teams Ohio State knew they would beat, but struggled at times against better teams and defenses. He proved road environments weren’t a problem, especially after dismantling the Wisconsin Badgers in Madison for 393 passing yards and four touchdowns. He responded well against Michigan in Ann Arbor after an early interception, tossing three touchdowns with 233 passing yards.

Against the Texas Longhorns to start the year, he had a season-low 126 yards in a defensive battle. He also had a few hiccups against the Indiana Hoosiers and Miami Hurricanes, as he had more interceptions than touchdowns in the two postseason games combined.

A lot of his playmakers were backing for one last hurrah, including the best wide receiver in the country in Jeremiah Smith. He also returns a leader in the receivers room in Brandon Inniss, the top receiver in the class in Chris Henry Jr., as well as some veteran transfers. Running back Bo Jackson and the offensive line are mostly back and ready to help relieve Sayin of some of the pressure and offensive load.

Brian Hartline left the team to take the head coaching position at USF, but there will be a lot of familiarity for Julain Sayin and the offense. Fans will expect to see a similar amount of production this season with a great passer at the helm.

Who Will Follow Sayin’s Lead When Needed?

Lincoln Kienholz was the team’s backup quarterback last season and finished his Buckeye career with 250 passing yards, 68 rushing yards, and three total touchdowns, all of which came in 2025. He saw some snaps in 2023 as well, but was primarily used in running situations to protect Julian Sayin yet still find the end zone.

He will be the starting quarterback for the Louisville Cardinals this season, leaving questions about who will back up the Buckeye star. Talented youngster Tavien St. Clair was the third-string last season and might be the starter in 2027, so he will likely take most of the snaps in blowouts and if an injury arises. He is an athletic quarterback who seems to have enjoyed his time in Columbus, and should be soaking up Sayin’s reps and knowledge like a sponge.

The Buckeyes also brought in Maryland Terrapins quarterback Justyn Martin, who took 24 snaps for the UCLA Bruins in 2024 and will be entering his fourth season of college football. His competition for the third-string role will be Luke Fahey, who joins the team from California.

How Will Billy Fessler Affect Sayin and The Quarterbacks?

Billy Fessler was promoted to the pass game coordinator and quarterbacks coach in February of 2025 after previously working as the quality control coach exclusively with three quarterbacks during the 2024 season. He helped turn Julian Sayin from a redshirt freshman into a Heisman Trophy finalist and will be going into his second straight season with him.

Fessler has prior history with elite quarterbacks for the Scarlet dating back to other Heisman Trophy Finalists C.J. Stroud and Justin Fields. It will be interesting to see what he adds to Sayin’s game now that there is footage of him succeeding and failing.

If Kessler, Sayin, and the rest of the quarterback room can elevate their play and those around them, this team will have a great shot at winning their second national championship in three years.

Join The Silver Bulletin at DICK’s House of Sport in Polaris, OH, on Saturday, August 29, from 12-3 pm for Tailgate Takeover to kick off football season! TSB LIVE returns for an on-site show with special guests previewing Ohio State’s 2026 season. You do not want to miss this event! Register here

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