Three takeaways from the Ohio State spring game

Originally slated to finish out the spring practice period with more of a showcase than a true scrimmage, Ryan Day elected instead to reverse course and go with the more typical spring game on Saturday. While the decision to flip-flop led to a much smaller crowd than year’s past — 40,136 officially in attendance, the lowest in four years — it was ultimately the right choice, as we got to see a nice little glimpse at the 2025 Buckeyes.

A ton of fresh faces took the field for Ohio State as the offense beat the defense, 50-31. Six different player scored touchdowns in the game, three different quarterbacks took reps and the 2024 national champions received their rings. All-in-all, it was a fun mini-celebration of Buckeye football and a good sign of things to come.

Here are three of the biggest takeaways from Saturday’s action…

Ohio State will be just fine at quarterback

Much has been made of the quarterback competition for the Buckeyes this offseason. Even when the choice atop the depth chart seems obvious, it feels like we do this song and dance every year. This time around, the competition has raged on between redshirt freshman Julian Sayin and junior Lincoln Kienholz.

Both guys put together impressive performances on Saturday, but it was Sayin who appeared to have the edge between the two. Sayin finished the afternoon completing 17 of his 24 pass attempts for 175 yards and a touchdown. The Alabama transfer led the Buckeyes’ offense on three consecutive scoring drives on his first three series at the helm, including a nice touchdown pass over the middle to Purdue transfer Max Klare.

Kienholz wasn’t too shabby in his own right, however, completing 12 of his 18 passes for 158 yards and two TDs. It took the South Dakota native a little longer to get going, but he settled in and made some nice throws as the game got going. Five-star freshman Tavien St. Clair got some run as well, completing 11-of-15 pass attempt for 116 yards and a TD, but also threw two picks.

While it would appear Sayin has the edge for QB1 coming out of spring practice — as was the prevailing thought coming into the offseason — all three quarterbacks showed a ton of positives in a very limited setting. Regardless of who wins the starting job come August, there should be little concern that the standard the position has seen under Ryan Day will not once again be met or exceeded.

No shortage of receiving options

Jeremiah Smith returns to Ohio State for his sophomore campaign after a ridiculous 1,300-yard, 15-touchdown performance as a freshman. Still, the Buckeyes have some big shoes to fill opposite Smith, as the program’s all-time receptions leader Emeka Egbuka is off to the NFL. Guys like Carnell Tate and Brandon Inniss both played well behind those two last season, but will Brian Hartline’s room have enough to get the job done?

As if we didn’t know already, Saturday’s showcase of pass-catching talent answered that question with a resounding yes. The big names like Smith and Tate remain, but we also got a glimpse at the next wave of talent in Ohio State’s wide receiver room.

Chief among that list was Mylan Graham, who led the way in the receiving department with four catches for 104 yards and a touchdown. The former five-star prospect looked every bit the part, making a handful of nice grabs highlight by an impressive 51-yard catch-and-run score. Five-star freshman Quincy Porter got in on the action with four catches for 50 yards, while fellow freshman Phillip Bell caught three balls for 30 yards and a TD.

Outisde of the young guns, we also got our first look at the aforementioned Purdue transfer, Max Klare. The skilled pass-catching tight end has a chance to be a real weapon in Ohio State’s offense with all of the attention opposing defenses will have to pay to this treasure trove of wide receivers. Klare caught two passes for 28 yards and a touchdown in the spring game.

Defensive line could use more depth

It’s tough to glean much about the defense in a game where ‘thud’ tackling is the preferred method, but I would’ve liked to see a bit more from Ohio State’s defensive line — especially against a group of inexperienced quarterbacks.

The unofficial stat sheet did not keep track of tackles or sacks, but from my own recollection, FCS transfer Logan George recorded a pair of sacks on the Buckeyes’ final drive, and CJ Hicks recorded a sack now at his new position of defensive end after spending the last few seasons at linebacker. Outside of those two, it was a mostly quiet day for Larry Johnson’s group.

Ohio State has a bunch of options at defensive end, but nobody really jumped off the page on Saturday. Some combination of Hicks, Caden Curry and Kenyatta Jackson will be the starters to begin the season with George rotating in as well. Behind them, it seems like freshman Zion Grady and redshirt sophomore Joshua Pickens would be the next men up. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Buckeyes try to supplement that group with a transfer in the spring window.

Defensive tackle is likely set, with Eddrick Houston and Kayden McDonald your starters and a group of four guys behind them that includes Jason Moore, Eric Mensah, Will Smith Jr. and Tywone Malone. That unit doesn’t necessarily need any additions, but if the right player became available it wouldn’t be surprising to see Ohio State jump at the opportunity.

Other individual standout performances (all stats unofficial)

• RB – Bo Jackson: 13 carries for 88 yards, 1 TD
• RB – CJ Donaldson: 4 carries for 35 yards, 1 TD
• RB – Sam Williams-Dixon: 11 carries for 64 yards, 2 catches for 21 yards, 1 TD
• TE – Nate Roberts: 4 catches for 41 yards
• TE – Jelani Thurman: 2 catches for 35 yards
• S – Faheem Delane: 1 interception
• S – Brenten Jones: 1 interception