Lincoln Kienholz and Julian Sayin are still locked in a tight contest for the starting quarterback spot at Ohio State. While some programs have already picked and announced their QB1, Buckeyes coach Ryan Day remains undecided heading into the 2025 season.The competition between Sayin and Kienholz has become so heated that Day likened it to the 2018 quarterback battle between Dwayne Haskins and Joe Burrow."Nothing is exactly the same, but it's similar in certain ways," Day said (via Chase Brown of Eleven Warriors). "Ultimately, it comes down to how they perform on the field."Burrow had been J.T. Barrett’s backup in 2016, while Haskins redshirted. But in 2018, Haskins eventually won the starting role. Rather than stay as a backup, Burrow transferred to LSU, where he became a Tigers legend.Meanwhile, college football analyst Josh Pate has also compared the Sayin-Kienholz race to the 2016 Alabama competition between Jalen Hurts and Blake Barnett.No matter the outcome, Day believes such fierce competition pushes players to their peak.“The positives of having a competition is that you know every day you got to bring it," Day said last week, per the Associated Press. "The guys are always on edge, they’re uncomfortable, they’re working at it. I think that’s healthy for the entire building.”Insider's update on the race between Julian Sayin and Lincoln KienholzFollowing Will Howard’s departure after leading Ohio State to the 2024 national championship, Julian Sayin and Lincoln Kienholz are in a tight race to carry the program’s winning tradition into another title run.According to The Athletic’s Cameron Teague, head coach Ryan Day has yet to name a definitive locker room leader, though The AP’s Joe Reedy reports that Sayin currently holds a slight edge.On Monday, On3 also reinforced Sayin’s advantage:“Coming out of the weekend, there is not much separation in the Ohio State quarterback competition. But a source tells On3 that Julian Sayin’s arm continues to flash, including a good scrimmage performance. The source also said Sayin is starting to look the part of a starter.”Quarterbacks coach Billy Fessler noted that the final decision would depend on which player can show consistent performance.