Scarlet Sunrise: Pair of Buckeyes QBs land in Phil Steele's list of top freshmen signal-callers

Good morning, Ohio State fans, and welcome to the Scarlet Sunrise. Football will always be our focus, but every day we’ll cover news, notes and analysis from across Buckeyes sports. Join us each morning to get caught up on everything you missed in the world of Buckeyes football, recruiting, basketball and more in Scarlet Sunrise.

Pair of Buckeyes QBs land in Phil Steele’s list of top freshmen signal-callers

College football preseason magazine publisher Phil Steele has released his 2024 edition of the mag. And he’s going in-depth on the entire sport. Steele even ranked the top freshmen quarterbacks entering this upcoming season.

Both Ohio State freshman quarterbacks are on the list — and high up on the list. Buckeyes freshman and former five-star recruit Julian Sayin, who transferred from Alabama when Nick Saban retired, is Steele’s top freshman quarterback for this season. Sayin was extremely impressive in his first spring on campus, and he’s expected to carry that into his debut campaign for the Buckeyes.

Steele also ranked Air Noland highly, placing him at No. 5 in his freshman QB rankings. Noland got off to a slow start this spring but had a good showing in the spring game in April.

Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola, a one-time Buckeyes commit, is No. 2 on Steele’s list. No. 3 is Florida freshman DJ Lagway, who is followed by Michigan freshman quarterback Jadyn Davis at No. 4.

Buckeyes land commitment from four-star defensive lineman

Four-star Delran (N.J.) St. Joseph’s Prep defensive lineman Maxwell Roy has committed to the Buckeyes. The No. 235 overall prospect and No. 18 defensive lineman per the On3 Industry Rankings chose Ohio State over Michigan, Rutgers, Penn State and others.

He made his official visit to Ohio State from June 14 to June 16 where the Buckeyes certainly pushed the needle for him.

“It went great,” Roy told Lettermen Row. “Ohio State knows how to treat their recruits right. I got to spend time with the players and spend time with the staff. That’s the part of this recruiting process that is very important, because it’s so critical to see how you fit in and what the people that are there are like.

Roy is another piece to an impressive defensive class for the Buckeyes.

He joins edge rushers Zion Grady, Zahir Mathis and London Merritt. Fellow defensive tackle Trajen Odom committed to Ohio State on June 28.

READ MORE: Four-star defensive lineman Maxwell Roy commits to Ohio State

Ross Bjork officially becomes Buckeyes AD

After 19 years as the Buckeyes athletic director, Gene Smith officially entered retirement on Monday morning, and Ross Bjork is officially the new Buckeyes athletic director.

Bjork was hired on Jan. 16 by Ohio State, leaving his post as the athletic director at Texas A&M for the same job in Columbus.

As he began his career as the Buckeyes athletic director Monday morning, he released a statement to social media.

Here’s what Bjork said:

“As I get started on July 1, the only promises I will make will be based on three things: 1) I will work at my maximum effort every single day for you and our student-athletes. 2) I will carry myself with a positive attitude and humble confidence about who we are, what we stand for, and how we do it. 3) I will embrace and cherish our role in supporting our student-athletes while being a great steward of the treasured assets within Buckeye Athletics and Business Advancement.”

Bjork was the athletic director at Texas A&M since 2019, was at Ole Miss from 2012-2019.

Counting Down

Buckeyes vs. Akron: 60 days
Buckeyes vs. Michigan: 151 days

Are you a Lettermen Row member yet?

Are you ready to get all your latest Buckeyes news in one place? Become a member of Lettermen Row today. With your Lettermen Row/On3+ membership, you’ll not only have access to everything that’s happening with the Buckeyes, but you’ll also be able to peruse other fan sites within the network to hear just how rivals are feeling about Ohio State, as well. Make sure to follow along on X, Instagram and on Youtube for all the latest Buckeyes news you need to know.