Julian Sayin returns to Ohio State physically stronger, mentally sharper, and embracing his voice as a leader. Ryan Day breaks down his transformation into Year 2.
There’s a look a quarterback gets when the game finally slows down for him. Ryan Day says he’s already seeing it in Julian Sayin’s eyes.
“When you look in his eye now, you see a different person,” Day said at Big Ten Media Days. “You see a different body. He’s worked hard, he’s gotten stronger. He’s found his voice even more, and he’s got a great look in his eye.”
After last season ended the way it did, Ohio State’s weaknesses proved fatal as the Buckeyes dropped their final two games. From those losses, each coach and player identified ways to grow. Julian Sayin needed to add the mobile element to his game to extend plays, create off-script, and step up as a vocal leader. According to Day, Sayin has done those things and is excited to show the on-field product.
“This is only the third time since I’ve been at Ohio State that we’ve had the same quarterback come back for a second year,” Day said. “And that’s a big deal.”
Why the Buckeyes Will Improve
That continuity is the foundation on which everything else gets built. Sayin isn’t walking into a new system, learning new terminology, or trying to build chemistry with a receiver room from scratch. He’s coming back to an offense alongside a supporting cast that came back with him. Carson Hinzman, Luke Montgomery, and Austin Siereveld anchor an offensive line with playoff experience, but have we seen their ceiling?
The Buckeyes must take a step forward on the line of scrimmage if they want to be better than a year ago. Couple that with Sayin’s mobility, and Ohio State’s offense could take a massive step forward, which is the expectation.
Jeremiah Smith, entering his third year, is a matchup problem for opposing defenses and a luxury for Sayin, who has been building chemistry with Smith since they arrived on campus.
“We’ve been having that chip on our shoulder, as a team, throughout the whole offseason.”
Buckeyes’ Julian Sayin and Jeremiah Smith join SportsCenter at Big Ten media days 🏈 pic.twitter.com/rJUSkaVlQT
— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) July 29, 2026
Ryan Day pointed to something less visible than the reps, too – Sayin’s processing speed. “What you don’t see, what I see is his intelligence level,” Day said. “He could handle high levels of information. He’s highly, highly motivated.” That’s coach-speak for a quarterback who isn’t just executing plays anymore, but understanding why they’re called, reading structures before the snap, and playing a step ahead of where he was a year ago.
The Vocal Leader
None of that erases how uneven last season actually was by Ohio State’s standards. Sayin’s first career start came against Texas in a top-five showdown – a signature win that announced him as the guy. But the season that followed didn’t finish the way Ohio State wanted, and the Buckeyes haven’t pretended otherwise. What’s changed, from Day’s vantage point, isn’t just Sayin’s frame or his grasp of the offense. It’s his presence in the building.
“He’s really embraced this leadership role,” Day said. Commanding the offense as a signal-caller is imperative, but this year’s scheme will be operated by Arthur Smith. Going from coaching Aaron Rodgers to a college quarterback room is its own adjustment for the staff, but by Day’s account, Sayin has kept pace with everything that’s been asked of him.
That’s the version of Julian Sayin Ohio State is banking on heading into preseason camp: physically different, mentally sharper, and now vocal enough to lead an offense with some of the most talented skill players in the country. The tools were always there. What Day is describing now is a quarterback who’s grown into using them.
Camp will start to answer the next question: whether that growth shows up when the lights are on, and the margins get small again. But for the first time in a while, Ohio State isn’t breaking in a new quarterback. It’s wondering how good its returning starter can be.
NEXT: Read Full Ohio State Football Schedule Preview 2026; 3 Games That Define the Buckeyes Season
Blake Biscardi serves as Co-Founder, Lead Reporter, and Senior Editor of The Silver Bulletin. He hosts the Buckeye Cadence podcast, where he breaks down Ohio State football and basketball with an inside look into the programs. Covering Julian Sayin in New York City in 2025 was his Heisman moment, which became a viral moment in its own right. Biscardi is a member of the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) and has degrees in Business Administration and Strategic Communication & Leadership.