Ohio State Buckeyes QB Julian Sayin Compared to Former Michigan Star

Julian Sayin, the Ohio State Buckeyes' likely 2025 starter, has been compared to a former Michigan star.

Sep 7, 2024; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Julian Sayin (10) takes a snap during the second half of the NCAA football game against the Western Michigan Broncos at Ohio Stadium. | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Ohio State Buckeyes will have a new starting quarterback under center during the 2025 college football season.

With Will Howard graduating and leaving town, likely for the NFL, Julian Sayin is expected to take over as the team's starter. He will be facing a lot of pressure and is completely unproven on the field, but he possesses elite potential and could end up being a breakout star.

Sayin was expected to take over as the starter in 2025 after he transferred to Ohio State from Alabama. Now, he has a chance to make that become a reality.

Looking closer at Sayin's game, one college football analyst has previously compared him to a former Michigan Wolverines' star quarterback.

Greg Biggins of 247 Sports has compared Sayin to J.J. McCarthy, who is now a quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings.

Needless to say, that comparison is a big one for Sayin. McCarthy may be hated by the majority of the Buckeyes' fan base, but no one can take away the fact that he found major success as the quarterback of Michigan.

If Sayin can have the same kind of career and success that McCarthy had, Ohio State fans will be very happy.

During the 2024 season, Sayin saw the field sparingly. He completed five of his 12 pass attempts for 84 yards, a touchdown, and no interceptions. He also picked up 24 yards on two rushing attempts.

While the young signal caller will be facing a ton of pressure, Ryan Day and company are clearly very confident in him. The fact that the Buckeyes didn't go out and aggressive pursue a quarterback in the transfer portal shows that to be true.

Day doesn't make many mistakes. If he believes that Sayin can take over and lead Ohio State to championship contention, fans should be confident in the young quarterback's ability as well.

It will be interesting to see how much Sayin improves from now until the start of the season. He has a great work ethic, high-end football IQ, and elite arm potential.

Hopefully, he comes out and puts to bed any doubts about his ability.