Well, right now we all know who is the happiest man in college football. It’s none other than the Ohio State Buckeyes’ HC Ryan Day. After all, that man came up with the perfect rags-to-riches story. Day’s graph witnessed a steep rise as it went from almost getting the axe to bringing home the national title. Does that mean the HC is all sorted now? Not at all. His Natty-winning QB, Will Howard, is headed to the pros, leaving a quarterback battle wide open. The head coach even broke the silence about the competition and Ohio State’s QB future. However, here comes the national analyst who feels that it’s either Julian Sayin or no one for the Buckeyes QB1 position.
Right now, things are in a dubious state in Columbus. Heading into the last year, Day and Co. landed Will Howard from Kansas State via the transfer portal. Later on, the QB went on to lead Ohio State to its first national championship in a decade. But Day can no longer count on Howard, who is making the jump to the NFL this spring. In that light, Sayin has caught the hype.
Julian Sayin was a freshman this past season and is widely considered the favorite to win the starting job in 2025. The QB has already fallen under the Heisman race radar. However, Day holds the notion that no option is final as of now. “It’ll be a fierce competition. Lincoln [Kienholz] and Julian, and then Tavien [St. Clair]. We’re excited to see those guys compete.” But the national analyst Joe DeLeone has been wooed by Sayin.
The podcast host Blake Ruffino made himself pretty clear: “Until Ryan Day tells me that Julian Sayin’s not going to be the starting quarterback at Ohio State, Julian Sayin is the quarterback that I’m thinking that’s going end here.” The QB jumped ship from Alabama for Ohio State within 30 days of the Crimson Tide’s coaching change. Now the QB battle is a common sight in Columbus. “Last spring there was a quarterback battle between Devin Brown and Will Howard for most of the spring.”
So, even Devin Brown had caught the hype, but it was Howard who got the role. On that note, DeLeone confirmed, “If you flip on the tape of all three of these guys, Julian’s going to start.” After all, Sayin’s throws look effortless—a real cakewalk, reminiscent of former Buckeyes QB Justin Fields. As Joe DeLeone put it, “Like the ba-l just is so easy coming out of his hand. For all the positive murmurs that have come out of Ohio State, just the ones we’ve heard about Jeremiah Smith, this feels like a no-brainer.” Is Sayin going to do the honors in the post-Will Howard era?
Julian Sayin gets the nod from the On3 analyst
The ceiling is too high for the Buckeyes now that they have the National Championship title. That’s when the conversation of retooling their starting lineup comes into play. Even though the competition is high, the On3 college football insider J.D.PicKell counts on Sayin. After all, Howard’s backup, Brown, has now transferred to the California Golden Bears. “To me when you got Jeremiah Smith, the best player in college football, you play whoever does the best job getting him the football, and I believe Julian Sayin with his skill set… he probably deserves to be the guy,” PicKell showered praise on the QB.
Not to forget that Sayin was picked up by the GOAT Nick Saban himself. The QB still gains a suspicious look from the doubters. The reason? He does not fall under the quarterback stature and does not have the towering figure at 6’1”. But the signal-caller holds the big USPs like precision, composure, and innate understanding of the game.
According to reports, Sayin has one of the quickest releases in college football. Already, he has gained intel on his NFL future. As NFL Rookie Watch stated, “Multiple NFL scouts reportedly believe Sayin “has the talent” to be a Top-5 pick in the NFL Draft one day.” In this process, Ohio State will have an elite supporting cast, boasting a dynamic receiving corps led by Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate. Now Ryan Day holds the golden ticket—will Julian Sayin be the chosen one?
