COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Hard to believe that when the spring season began a month ago, the intention was to have a "showcase" at the end for the fans at Ohio Stadium.
Good thing coach Ryan Day changed his mind.
"I'm glad we did the spring game. I wasn't sure, but it was definitely the right thing to do," Day said. "I wish we could've stayed out there for another four hours and gotten these reps and getting these guys some work."
In front of 40,136 fans, the Scarlet offense defeated the Gray defense, 50-31, in Ohio State's annual Spring Game, providing the first glimpse of what the 2025 squad will look like as defending champions.
"We lost talent, but most importantly,y we lost experience. We're still talented. But we lost the experience," Day said. "Every time you go out there, you're either remembering or you're learning. We have to have a lot of guys learning right now."
Here's what we learned from the Buckeyes' spring game.
Sayin leaves best impression in race for QB1
In a three-man race to become the next starting quarterback, Lincoln Keinholz may have taken the first snaps of both halves, but Julian Sayin likely made the best impression. The redshirt freshman put up the best numbers of the three QBs, going 17-of-24 for 175 yards and a touchdown. He came out of the gate strong by leading the offense to a score on his first three drives.
Day said that Sayin still has plenty to work on in the offseason, noting that at six-foot-one, he's shorter than past Ohio State quarterbacks who've had the starting role.
"You're in the trees. You've got to find passing lanes," Day said. "He's certainly tall enough. You need to get your elbow up. You need to play big. He's done a better job with his body. I think he's moving better."
Keinholz overcame a relatively slow start and found the endzone twice in the second half, finishing 12-of-18 for 158 yards. Rookie Tavien St. Clare completed 11 of his 15 passes for 116 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions.
"At all positions but most importantly at quarterback, we have to continue to play 11-on-11 football," Day said. "We're young. We have a lot to work on. But I will say there was growth today."
Mylan Graham rises above in sea of playmakers
There's no shortage of stars at Ohio State. That's always been the case. Saturday's spring game showed there are plenty of athletes capable of making big plays. From West Virginia transfer running back C.J. Donaldson to former Purdue tight end Max Klare, the Buckeyes seem capable of replenishing the talent lost from the national championship team. And, of course, there are returning playmakers like wide receivers Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate.
But Mylan Graham may have turned the most heads with his four receptions for 104 yards, including a 51-yard touchdown.
"He's another guy that just needs to play football. His route running is excellent. His athleticism is excellent. His attention to detail is excellent," Day said. "The biggest thing with Mylan has been just finishing the catches."
Graham was a five-star recruit out of high school from New Haven, Indiana. And if Saturday was any indication, he might be the next Ohio State star.
"I think he has a bright future here. I think he's grown, he's gotten better. He's serious about his work," Day said. "He knows what he has to work on, but he has all the tools it takes to be the next great one."
Patricia's defense is a work in progress
There wasn't much to say about the defense that new coordinator Matt Patricia put together for Saturday's scrimmage.
"On defense, the guys were very, very vanilla. You could see it was two coverages all day and one front," Day said. "Which is not what we saw all spring."
While the spring game isn't exactly the time and place to experiment with different defensive schemes, it's clear that Day needs to see improvement from his defensive line.
"I think we got to take a hard look at it," Day said. "We don't have the answer right now. I don't want to make any judgements until I see the film."
Patricia, who spent nearly two decades in the NFL before arriving in Columbus, has spent much of the spring installing the defense. But with four starters to replace, it will take more than four weeks of spring practice to be ready for the Aug. 30 season opener against Texas.
"Our players have to understand, the goal isn't for the coaches to call us into the right defense," Day said. "If we're good and dominant, you should be able to just play a couple defenses and a couple of coverages at Ohio State and win. And win with technique. So that's sorta the message coming out of the spring."
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