By adding QB Julian Sayin, Ryan Day is aggressively building the best roster possible at Ohio State

Ohio State has made all sorts of major moves in the transfer portal this offseason, landing the No. 1 overall player in former 5-star Alabama safety Caleb Downs, the top tailback in Ole Miss’ Quinshon Judkins, a sturdy interior offensive lineman in Seth McLaughlin and veteran quarterback Will Howard. 

Ryan Day is clearly going for it in 2024, with the impetus now more than ever to beat Michigan and reclaim the top spot in the Big Ten. Two years after Day told local Columbus businesses that the Buckeyes needed around a $13 million NIL budget to maintain the best roster in the country, Ohio State’s collectives (The 1870 Society and The Foundation) has put those funds to good use this offseason. 

The Foundation literally announced Downs’ decision to spurn Georgia for Ohio State. 

Welcome to THE, @caleb_downs2, our newest Student Athlete partner! Caleb is going to do great work on and off the field as an ambassador for our charity partners and in the Columbus community. (Boom 😉) https://t.co/htkLB83pbF pic.twitter.com/bNvKx3BPRO

— THE Foundation (@TheFoundation1_) January 20, 2024

But the Buckeyes’ latest transfer portal addition is perhaps the most interesting and speaks to another potential philosophical shift in Columbus this offseason — and it likely will have no impact on their all-in season in 2024: Landing 5-star Alabama freshman Julian Sayin on Sunday. 

Sayin is the No. 1 quarterback in the On3 transfer portal rankings, and was the top-ranked quarterback in the 2024 recruiting class. The Southern California native opted to leave Tuscaloosa after a few short weeks following Nick Saban’s stunning retirement. Sayin, who was the MVP of the Elite 11 finals last summer, could’ve gone anywhere. And on the surface, every team in America should want to add another talented gunslinger in its QB room.

But in a NIL and transfer portal world, many staffs don’t want to upset the apple cart. 

Ohio State already has a 5-star freshman quarterback in its 2024 class. With Air Noland on board, plus the addition of Howard and the returning depth pieces of Devin Brown and Lincoln Kienholz, the Buckeyes could’ve easily passed on Sayin. 

Reportedly, Ohio State considered that very option. 

Instead, Day doubled down on Ohio State’s aggressive offseason by adding another blue-chip talent to the roster. Day is embracing the pressure by hoarding as many good players as possible — no matter the position — and letting the competition for snaps play out on the field.  

Smart move. 

This isn’t about Day showing a lack of loyalty to Air Noland or the rest of the QB room. It’s actually a very encouraging sign that he understands the cutthroat nature of building the best roster in 2024 and beyond. 

In all likelihood, either Sayin or Noland will transfer to a different school if they don’t win the job in 2025, but instead of having just a single swing, Ohio State gets to evaluate a pair of 5-star quarterbacks heads-up against one another. 

Iron sharpens iron is an overwrought cliche in college football recruiting, but that doesn’t make it not true. Stockpiling talent wins in the end. 

The last time Ohio State had a quarterback room like this — CJ Stroud, Quinn Ewers and Kyle McCord — the succession plan didn’t work out as envisioned. 

Yet Day wasn’t discouraged from stacking the room similarly again. 

In 2021, Day correctly rolled with Stroud over the two 5-star freshmen, but Ewers didn’t want to sit a second season so he bolted for Texas. McCord didn’t develop as the staff had hoped, yet in one offseason, Day has flipped the quarterback room by adding three new arms. 

Will Howard will likely start in 2024, and then Ohio State will hold a battle royale for the job the following fall. 

That is good roster management, especially for a program that’s chasing excellence. Day is finally showing the same ruthlessness of recently retired Nick Saban and Georgia’s Kirby Smart. 

I don’t know if it took losing to Michigan three years in a row, or watching the Wolverines win the national title earlier this month, but a fire’s been lit in Columbus, and that’s a positive sign for Ohio State’s future.