Better Know a Buckeye: Julian Sayin Has the Passing Ability to Be the Next Great Quarterback at Ohio State

While Julian Sayin wasn't originally part of Ohio State's 2024 recruiting class, he was certainly the cherry on top of the fifth-best class in the cycle.

The Buckeyes had their eyes on Sayin long before he ever decided to don the scarlet and gray. Those feelings became mutual when arguably the greatest head coach in college football history decided to hang up his clipboard, giving Ohio State another opportunity to land the No. 1 quarterback (No. 6 overall) in the 2024 class.

Since transferring to Ohio State from Alabama in January, Sayin has demonstrated his arm talent and poise in practices, even if he’s unlikely to see regular playing time on Saturdays in the fall until 2025.

How He Became a Buckeye

After Dylan Raiola decommitted from Ohio State on Dec. 17, 2022, the Buckeyes began to evaluate their potential options to replace him in the 2024 class at quarterback. That led to Sayin, who had been committed to Alabama since Nov. 2, 2022, receiving an offer from OSU, as he and Air Noland were the only two quarterbacks to receive an offer following Raiola's decommittment.

Stealing a commitment away from the hands of Nick Saban would have been a tall task, and Sayin signed with the Crimson Tide during the early signing period last December. He even participated in Alabam's bowl prep practices for Michigan as a member of the Crimson Tide's scout team. But that all changed when Saban retired on Jan. 12, news that shook the college football world.

A week later, Sayin entered the transfer portal, giving Ohio State another crack at landing the top-ranked quarterback in the 2024 class in a unique situation given the timing. Even though the Buckeyes already had Noland in the 2024 class and four scholarship quarterbacks on the roster, their target number for the position, OSU immediately became the favorite to land Sayin.

Two days after entering the transfer portal, Sayin transferred to Ohio State, giving the Buckeyes the No. 1-ranked quarterback in the 2024 class. He was one of three players to transfer to Ohio State from Alabama this offseason, joining former Crimson Tide safety Caleb Downs and center Seth McLaughlin.

“Incredibly excited to join the team here at Ohio State," Sayin told ESPN at the time. “I held this program in high regard throughout my entire recruiting process and am looking forward to learning from some of the most talented players and coaches in college football and contributing to our team's success.”

He reiterated those positive remarks earlier this week, especially in regards to Ryan Day, who he has proclaimed as "a great quarterback whisperer" multiple times since joining the Buckeyes.

“When I entered the portal, I knew coach Day, we had a great relationship throughout the recruiting process,” Sayin told reporters Tuesday. “And then Bill O’Brien was actually the offensive coordinator here at the time and I had a strong relationship with him. I came here, and then coach (Chip) Kelly came here and I had a good relationship with him too being from California and being recruited by UCLA.

“I definitely made the right decision coming up here. It came down to a lot of factors, but really I just wanted to be at a school with great tradition and great quarterback history and somewhere I can develop.” 

With Sayin’s transfer, three of the top four quarterbacks in the 2024 class – Raiola, Noland and Sayin – were either committed to Ohio State at one time (Raiola), signed with the Buckeyes (Noland) or transferred to OSU (Sayin).

Sayin became the second quarterback to transfer to Ohio State this offseason, joining former Kansas State signal-caller Will Howard.

High School Years

Sayin showed off his talent early and often at Carlsbad High School in California. As a sophomore, Sayin completed 181 of 253 passes (71.5%) for 2,769 yards, 34 touchdowns and five interceptions while also running for 208 yards and two touchdowns.

He followed that up by completing 163-of-245 passes (66.5%) for 2,708 yards, 27 touchdowns and four interceptions as a junior, when he also ran for 154 yards and three touchdowns on 26 carries on the ground.

Former Bama QB Julian Sayin is transferring to OHIO STATE @juliansayin2 (per @Hayesfawcett3) pic.twitter.com/NRPrgQKaKB

— Overtime (@overtime) January 21, 2024

With that two-year performance, he made the Elite 11 Finals before his senior season. He earned MVP honors at the event and was considered by many to be the best pure passer in the 2024 class, demonstrating a consistent ability to throw the ball with accuracy and velocity to all areas on the field.

In his final high school season, Sayin completed 158-of-212 passes (74.5%) for 2,347 yards, 24 touchdowns and just one interception while rushing for 186 yards and four touchdowns.

5-star Alabama QB commit Julian Sayin had a big night on Friday, going 20-25 for 441 yards, 4 TD along with a rushing score. Quick release, accuracy and timing on display. No. 6 overall @On3Recruits https://t.co/R4TkMbEBWF pic.twitter.com/rsi0C4hUBR

— Charles Power (@CharlesPower) October 23, 2023

Across his four-year career at Carlsbad, Sayin completed 70.7% of his passing attempts (502 of 710) for 7,824 yards, 85 touchdowns and just 10 interceptions. He also showed the athleticism to extend plays and take off as a runner when needed, rushing for 548 yards and nine touchdowns across his four years.

Carlsbads QB Julian Sayin (No. 3 in ESPN 300) finished with 201 all-purpose yards and 3 total touchdowns pic.twitter.com/DhFOMZDIcr

— SportsCenter NEXT (@SCNext) August 27, 2023

Immediate Impact

While Will Howard is the clear favorite to be Ohio State's starting quarterback this season, Sayin took some reps with the first-team offense early in camp. That, paired with him being one of only two freshmen to lose his black stripe this spring, along with Jeremiah Smith, shows how well Sayin has performed in practice as a freshman.

”He's been in there competing and he's making plays,” Day said of Sayin already making a name for himself in spring practice. “Usually when you get your black stripe off, it's because you've earned the respect of the team. And I think he's done that.”

One of five scholarship quarterbacks on the roster, Sayin joins Noland, the No. 4 quarterback in the 2024 class, as well as Howard, redshirt sophomore Devin Brown and redshirt freshman Lincoln Kienholz. That said, Ohio State wouldn’t have made the move to add Sayin if it didn’t view Sayin as a potential upgrade over Brown, Noland and Kienholz.

Day hasn't held back when it comes to praising Sayin and the quarterback's potential.

“He’s been unbelievable,” Day said in April. “I mean, he has a good plan when he gets out there. Doesn't want to get his hand held. I've been impressed with his approach. And like I said before, he's got a really, really bright future. I mean, how fast he gets on the field will be just kind of up to him.”

It appears Howard and Brown – in whichever order – will be the top two quarterbacks on the depth chart in 2024, as Day stated Thursday that the pair have received "lion's share of the reps with the ones" so far in fall camp. But it's not far-fetched to think Sayin could get some snaps as a freshman, even if it's only in already-decided games as the third-string gunslinger.

Regardless of where he lands on the depth chart this fall, Sayin is ready to improve his game both on and off the field.

“I just am trying to develop and take coaching points from coach Day and coach Kelly,” Sayin said of his focus for the season. “I want to develop and run the offense the way they want it and take their coaching points and put it into my game.”

Long-Term Impact

With Howard having only one remaining year of eligibility, the 2025 starting quarterback competition will be wide open.

If Howard does in fact get the starting nod for the season opener against Akron, whether Sayin is QB2 or QB3 doesn't necessarily affect the freshman's future leading Ohio State, especially beginning in 2025. Early and often in practice, Sayin has shown his dynamic ability with both his arm and his legs – a combination that is needed in Day and Chip Kelly's offense – and he could very well be the favorite to be the starting quarterback to begin the 2025 season.

“I think I can be a really good decision-maker for the offense,” Sayin said. “Someone who the offensive coordinator can trust.”

If that's the case, Sayin's trajectory could be as a high-level two-year starter at Ohio State before entering the 2027 NFL draft following his third season in Columbus.

Player Comparison: C.J. Stroud

Comparing a freshman to a quarterback who won the 2023 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year and is already one of the best signal-callers in the league is quite a tall task, but Sayin has the skill set and pedigree to get there.

After appearing in two games as a freshman – including a 48-yard touchdown run against Michigan State – in 2020, Stroud was the starter to begin the following season after Justin Fields took his talents to the NFL. As a sophomore, he completed 317-of-441 passes (71.9%) for 4,435 yards, 44 touchdowns and six interceptions. He followed that up by completing 258-of-389 passes for 3,688 yards, 41 touchdowns and six interceptions as a junior before declaring for the NFL draft. He then was selected with the second overall pick by the Houston Texans in the 2023 NFL draft.

The top-ranked quarterback in the 2024 class, Sayin hails from Southern California like Stroud did and also appears to be on a trajectory toward starting in his second year even if he plays only sparingly as a freshman. While he’s a bit smaller than Stroud at only 6-foot-1 and 203 pounds, his ability to throw the ball with touch and accuracy is reminiscent of the two-time Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year and could make Sayin the next future first-round draft pick at quarterback for Ohio State.