Ryan Day sends huge Heisman expectations for Ohio State QB Julian Sayin next year

Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin has much to be proud of. His Buckeyes are the No. 2 seed in the College Football Playoff and he ended his first regular-season as a starter as a Heisman Trophy finalist with his only loss coming against Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza in the Big Ten title game.

Upon waiting to see who the eventual award winner would be, Sayin's coach, Ryan Day, had a powerful message that will likely stick with his quarterback as the postseason begins and beyond.

"Guys who get invited to New York are multiple-year players; this is Julian's first year... he's got a lot football ahead of him," Day told ESPN during the Heisman ceremony.

It certainly feels like Julian will be back in NYC next year.

"Guys who get invited to New York are multiple year players, this is Julian's first year... he's got a lot football ahead of him"

Here are Ryan Day's comments on how proud he is of Julian Sayin
(Courtesy - @espn) pic.twitter.com/HfuTzvVCDZ
— Adam King (@AdamKing10TV) December 14, 2025

Day certainly isn't wrong, as he'll potentially get at a minimum two more seasons out of the Carlsbad, Calif. native as his starter. Sayin, alongside Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love and Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia, were also finalists for the award.

So, in a nutshell, Day's words should not be used as a cutdown, but rather a springboard for who Sayin can become in Columbus. Because the potential for greatness next year is certainly there, and luckily, his favorite target, Jeremiah Smith, isn't going anywhere.

As previously noted, Sayin's numbers speak for themselves but based upon his demeanor and the way he portrays himself both on and off the field are that wins remain the No. 1 priority.

"I got to be better for us as an offense so we can do that and execute better," Sayin said after the Big Ten title game. "We got to score more points. Our defense played well enough for us to win the game, so as an offense, we got to be better in those areas.”

Sayin's words demonstrate that he recognizes that wins and losses, specifically offensively, begin and end with him having to play his best week in and week out.

Now, he will have a few weeks to sit with two bitter weekends he probably wasn't expecting either way. At the very least, though his season is far from over and he can correct all of these mistakes to help position him for an even bigger season next fall to where he more than likely won't be on the outside working in as he was this year.

At the end of the day, this is Sayin's story. And ultimately, this is simply another chapter in it.