Inside Julian Sayin’s Path to Elevating Ohio State During Second Year As Buckeyes QB1

Last season, Ohio State Sophomore quarterback Julian Sayin finished the season with 301 completions on 391 attempts for 3,610 passing yards, 32 passing touchdowns, eight interceptions, and a completion rating of 77 percent, according to ESPN.com. He also added 22 rushing yards and had an 88.4 QBR.

Sayin would help lead them to a 12-2 regular season record and would lose in the Big Ten Championship game to Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza, and Indiana University 13-10. In the first round of the College Football Playoffs, the Buckeyes would beat Texas A&M 10-3 in College Station.

However, the following week in the Quarterfinal in Cotton Bowl at AT&T, OSU’s season would come to an end against the Miami Hurricanes 24-14. After the game, Sayin spoke about his missed opportunity to scramble out of the pocket for positive yards.

“I think there were some opportunities today where I could have maybe taken off and scrambled for some yards,” Sayin said. "Took some sacks that weren’t necessary and got us into tougher situations.”

“They have two really good edge rushers,” Sayin added. “So, we knew we were going to get the ball out of our hand quick. There were times today where I held onto the football, and they were able to get after me and get some sacks.”

Head Coach Ryan Day spoke about the team taking a while to find its rhythm in the first half but finding it in the second half.

"I felt like it took us a while to get into the rhythm of the game," Day said. "I thought we did coming out of the second half. By then it was going to take a very, very efficient second half to win the game, being down 14-0. But I felt like at that point we got into a rhythm. When we had that drive there where we took a shot, it was incomplete and the next play was a hold, that got us way behind the chains. That was the drive that we needed to go win the game."

Now, Sayin is preparing for his junior season at OSU and is looking to help lead the Buckeyes to another National Champion.

In a recent interview between Ohio State Buckeyes on SI and former OSU wide receiver Dontre Wilson, he discusses what he that Julian Sayin needs to do this year to achieve that goal.

“What he did last year, that was his first time really going through all of that, man. He's on the biggest stage, so he knows what to do, he knows what comes with it. Like I said earlier, a lot of those mistakes, those plays that didn't go his way or that he missed, maybe he'll see those now. That just comes with getting your feet wet,” said Wilson.

“That's a hell of a spot to jump into, being a starting quarterback at Ohio State after guys like J.T. Barrett, Terrelle Pryor, Troy Smith, Braxton Miller, Cardale Jones, C.J. Stroud, and Dwayne Haskins, RIP to him. For him to step up and fill those shoes, that's a big thing, and he did it last year. Now he knows what to expect. Now he knows, 'I can strut my stuff a little bit this year, I know what I'm doing. They gave me the keys to the Lamborghini, I'm gonna drive it.' He's gonna be straight. Yeah, he's gonna be good.”

What’s the biggest difference between a quarterback who manages a talented Ohio State roster and one who actually elevates it?

Later in the interview Wilson was asked to break down the biggest difference between a quarterback who manages a talented Ohio State roster and one that can actually elevate it.

“Being able to be a true leader, one thing I could say about JT is he held all of us accountable and made us a well-oiled machine. Him getting on our ass, making us do the extra work, watch film, things like that made us a better team, and it built camaraderie with the receivers. The relationship he had with the O-line, that's huge too,” Wilson shared.

Adding, “People don't realize that, but being real friends with the guy next to you in a football game, that matters, because y'all gonna hold each other accountable without putting each other down. There's a huge difference between yelling at somebody and putting them down versus pushing them and building them up. That, to me, is a true example of a real leader. Even if you've only got okay guys, if they all play hard as hell together, y'all gonna look like a damn good team. That's the true meaning of being a real leader to me, rather than just trying to be a motivator.”

With a stellar season with Ohio State, Sayin might have an opportunity to play at the next level, and ESPN’s Jordan Reid recently spoke to a couple of NFL scouts and an executive, and they revealed Sayin’s biggest challenge.

"I liked his tape, but the traits are just so limited in a near-perfect setup of surroundings, and you saw that in the playoff."

While another shared, "He's super accurate and operates at a really high level. I think people are underrating him and forgetting that he was in his first year as a starter."

"Those tools, you just can't teach. It'll require some patience, but I think he's going to be awesome once he gets out of that situation over there," an AFC scout said. Added another AFC executive: "The surroundings were bad, but he just sees everything a tick too slow right now."

Ohio State’s first game of the season is on September 5th against Ball State, and media day for Ohio State is later this week.

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