Julian Sayin Has Been Elite In His First Year Under Center

We Are Just Sayin, The Future Is Scary

The Carlsbad, California, native Julian Sayin has had a unique start to his college football career, but has found his footing and then some in his first year as a starter for the Ohio State Buckeyes.

Sayin was elite during his time as a high school football player in California, earning many accolades, from the Elite 11 MVP in 2023 to earning Gatorade California Player of the Year. He had nearly 8,000 career passing yards and 95 touchdowns en route to a 30-4 record.

His accuracy and steadiness as a passer were evident from the start, and led to Sayin being a five-star recruit and the top quarterback in the 2024 recruiting class. Sayin verbally committed to the University of Alabama in November of 2022 before early enrolling late in 2023.

When former Alabama Head Coach and one of the best coaches of all-time, Nick Saban, announced his retirement, Sayin entered the transfer portal in January of last year. It did not take long for Sayin to land on Ryan Day and The Ohio State Buckeyes.

Early Buckeye Career

Kansas State-transfer quarterback Will Howard battled it out with Julian Sayin and the other Ohio State quarterbacks during the summer of 2024, eventually winning the job closer to the start of the season.

Howard came over from Kansas State looking to win the job and get ready for the NFL in his final collegiate season. He played very well for the Buckeyes, and we saw him make throws he hadn’t made most of his college career. In the end, it resulted in him winning a National Championship for the Buckeyes and being selected 185th overall in the 2025 NFL Draft.

Sayin attempted just 12 passes in his time as a backup during the 2024 National Championship season, but was able to learn and develop, which has clearly shown to have paid off. He appeared in four games, completed passes in two of them, with his big play being a 55-yard touchdown against Western Michigan.

With the 2024 season in the rearview mirror and the leaders of the Buckeyes wanting the championship banners out of the building, the focus shifted to what this team could be in 2025, with Sayin potentially running the show.

Sayin Stole The Show

Julian Sayin beat out Lincoln Kienholz in what Ryan Day said was a legit quarterback battle throughout the offseason. Most expected the California product to win the job, and it looks like it was the right choice.

Sayin got his first win against then-No. 1 Texas, in which he played a clean game, dealt with some drops, and threw his first touchdown of the season to Carnell Tate. From then on, the kid started rolling. He threw four touchdowns and just one incompletion against Grambling the next game, and followed that up with 347 yards through the air vs Ohio.

His season-high in years came when he aired it out all over Wisconsin and finished with 393 passing yards. That game was one of three in which he had four passing touchdowns, and he has three games with three passing touchdowns.

The most impressive thing we saw throughout the regular season was Sayin’s accuracy, as he led all of college football in completion percentage and broke Bo Nix’s NCAA record he set in 2023. Sayin was near the top of college football and Ohio State history with some of the numbers he put up, including his 16-straight completions to start the game vs Grambling, which is an Ohio State record.

The Future Is Bright

Julian Sayin was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year, was a finalist for the Walter Camp Player of the Year, as well as the Davey O’Brien and Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year awards. Sayin’s elite play earned him an invite to New York as a Heisman trophy finalist, where he finished fourth in the voting.

It would be no surprise if he ends up back in New York next year alongside teammate Jeremiah Smith, with the thought of one of the two hoisting the trophy. For now, their focus will be on their next game against Texas A&M or Miami (FL) in the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas.

Including the Big Ten Championship, Sayin so far this season has completed 78.4 percent of his passes for 3,323 passing yards with 31 passing touchdowns and six interceptions.

If he plays like he has this season and makes some big throws late in games, the Buckeyes have as good a chance as any to win the National Championship and go back-to-back.