While I wrote about the offensive line in my new gig for Press Pros Magazine, the most interesting thing I heard at Ohio State football practice Monday was a comparison I wasn’t expecting.
Ryan Day, in his weekly meeting with reporters, said this month’s quarterback competition reminds him of the one he helped oversee in his second year in Columbus as quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator for Urban Meyer: Dwayne Haskins Jr. vs. Joe Burrow.
“Dwayne and Joe, it was similar just in terms of the skill sets and their makeups, and so it's interesting to see those two guys competing with each other.”
This is fascinating for a number of reasons.
It sounds crazy at first, but the more you think about it the more it makes some sense.
Sayin is Haskins in this scenario in case you weren’t quite sure.
This is something we know because last week Day said Sayin’s delivery reminds him of Haskins.
"There’s a lot to like. He’s very smart, makes quick decisions. The ball comes out of his hand. He’s accurate. I think he’s got good movement. He’s got good quickness. He got twitch in his lower half, but he’s got like twitch in his upper half.
“Remember how quick the ball used to come out of Dwayne’s hands? It’s similar with Julian. I think he’s building more and more of a command on the field. Those are all reasons to like him, and he’s improved. He knows what it takes.”
Neither Haskins nor Sayin seems to be much of a runner, but they are both regarded as having golden arms.
Haskins brought a lot of velocity to the table, but the smoothness of his delivery was more memorable. The ball just glided out of his hand without a lot of visible effort.
Comparisons to Burrow are a little more tricky because what makes him special is above the neck, but he and Kienholz both were multi-sport athletes in high school who put up silly numbers as quarterbacks.
Haskins ended up winning the 2018 QB competition sort of by default.
He entered with a slight lead thanks to having led the comeback win at Michigan the previous November. That skin on the wall was very significant to Meyer, and it put Burrow behind the eight ball in terms of having to beat him out clearly because coaches value game experience over anything else — especially in this case The Game.
That dynamic does not exist in the battle going on now, though Sayin was ahead of Kienholz at the end of last season — most certainly not for nothing.
While Day has kept his cards close to the vest, it is hard not to see the job as Sayin’s to lose because of that. Kienholz had a head start in the race but still fell behind.
(Ironically he also got to play real snaps in a high-profile game, but Kienholz’s performance in the Cotton Bowl as a true freshman two years ago might have had the opposite effect of Haskins’ in Ann Arbor.)
Does this comparison mean Kienholz eventually transfers to an SEC school and wins the Heisman Trophy?
I guess only time will tell, but Sayin throwing the ball around the yard like Haskins might be more likely.
