That should have been the end of the story. He should have arrived in January, ready to spend the year developing before competing for the starting spot in 2025. But when Sayin entered the portal and his only options were OSU or USC, things changed.

Then Sayin arrived on campus and immediately made a splash, while Noland took the typical path of a freshman trying to adjust to a new level. Sayin pushed for playing time and Noland focused on the future.

Now his future will lie elsewhere while Sayin is considered the favorite to get the job and will make his debut against Texas on August 31st.

Noland joins Devin Brown — who will still be in the College Football Playoff — as quarterbacks the Buckeyes will lose to the transfer portal after the season. Add graduate Will Howard to the mix, and that’s three of the five scholarship quarterbacks who won’t be returning. Sayin will be joined by Lincoln Kienholz as a returnee, while five-star freshman Tavien St. Clair will enroll early.

The losses do not change the possible future. Sayin is a five-star and former top quarterback in the 2024 class who is expected to be next in line. St. Clair is expected to be followed by five-star 2027 recruit Brady Edmunds. These three departures simply open the door for a possible new addition to the transfer portal, similar to Tristian Gebbia in 2023.

This decision ends an 18-month saga made possible by all the strangeness that comes with running a quarterback room in college football. The future of the quarterback position at Ohio State continues to be bright. Noland just doesn’t want to be there, the unfortunate victim of all the right and wrong circumstances happening at the same time.