Last year, Ohio State got a really solid season out of Will Howard in his lone year in Columbus. It was exactly what they could've hoped for. He was never quite the high-level QB some other programs had, but he won them the national title after a very high-quality run through the playoffs.
He's gone, though, off to the NFL. Now, either Julian Sayin or Lincoln Kienholz will take over. They don't represent the steady, sure thing that Howard was, and that could easily determine whether or not the Buckeyes repeat, according to ESPN college football insider Jake Trotter.
"The Buckeyes will be turning to either former five-star freshman Julian Sayin or Lincoln Kienholz this season, pending who wins the job during camp. Throwing to all-world wideout Jeremiah Smith will bolster whomever the starting quarterback winds up being," Trotter added. "But even with Smith and All-American safety Caleb Downs anchoring each side of the ball, it's difficult envisioning the Buckeyes truly contending again unless Ohio State gets good-to-great quarterback play like it did last season."
The Buckeyes do not have an established quarterback right now, so whoever wins the job will walk into Week 1 with a bit of a question mark hanging over his head. Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, they will be immediately thrown to the wolves with a bout against fellow national title contender Texas, which may determine whether OSU has the QB they need to win.