Closer Look: Julian Sayin Advanced For A Freshman

Julian Sayin signed with Alabama out of Carlsbad High School in Carlsbad, California. He was ranked the No. 1 quarterback in the 2024 class per the 247Sports Composite. Sayin was the No. 6 player overall and the top player in the state of California. He transferred to Ohio State in January following the retirement of Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban.

Sayin was a three-year starter at Carlsbad, throwing for 7,824 yards in his career with 85 touchdowns and just 10 interceptions. As a junior, he threw for 2,708 yards with 27 touchdowns and four interceptions. He was named the Elite 11 MVP prior to a senior season where he posted 2,347 passing yards with 24 touchdowns and just one interception.

What To Like

Julian Sayin (6-1 203) enrolled early at Alabama but then transferred over to Ohio State and was able to get to Columbus by the end of January. It didn’t take long for the buzz to start as he showed himself to be a quick learner and a fast processor. Those were two traits he showed throughout his high school career as well.

In the clips below, Sayin shows his ability to make decisions quickly and get rid of the ball confidently and accurately. He fits the ball into tight windows over the middle of the field and also throws receivers open downfield. He possesses the kind of accuracy that Ohio State head coach Ryan Day looks for and tries to instill in his quarterbacks.

Julian Sayin earned raves for his quick decision making and accuracy this spring. Those are things he's done for a while now. pic.twitter.com/vGjf6yoabf
— Tony Gerdeman (@TonyGerdeman) July 12, 2024

The Potential

The biggest criticism of Julian Sayin is that he is “only” 6-foot-1. It is important to note, however, that four times over the last 10 years the first quarterback taken in the NFL Draft has been 6-foot-1 or under. Sayin has the arm strength, accuracy, understanding, and anticipation to make all of the necessary throws.

Sayin is mobile in the pocket and out of it. He keeps his eyes downfield while moving side to side. He is a natural leader who enjoys studying the quarterback position, which OSU offensive coordinator Chip Kelly loves. Sayin became the first Ohio State quarterback to ever lose his black stripe in the spring. That was further confirmation that the potential here is very, very high.

Ohio State freshman quarterback Julian Sayin is comfortable on the move. pic.twitter.com/1leneqSCIY
— Tony Gerdeman (@TonyGerdeman) July 12, 2024

The Expectations

Quarterbacks redshirting at Ohio State is the norm, especially now that freshmen can play in up to four regular season games. There’s nothing wrong with redshirting. CJ Stroud did it. Dwayne Haskins did it. However, the idea that any quarterback is going to be at one school for five years now seems laughable. There will likely be no plan to redshirt Julian Sayin this year. There also likely won’t be a plan to force him onto the field for playing time. That will still need to be earned — which he will do, but the situations also have to arise naturally.

With upperclassmen Devin Brown and Will Howard competing to be the starting quarterback, Sayin playing in five games this year might be a stretch. However, there are people at Ohio State who believe Sayin will be able to compete for the starting job in the fall. He showed a ton of promise in the spring and there is no reason to expect that to stop now.

Here is every throw and run for Julian Sayin in the Ohio State spring game. pic.twitter.com/dLkA3rRJRk
— Tony Gerdeman (@TonyGerdeman) July 12, 2024

The Bottom Line

Any time a program lands the consensus top quarterback in a recruiting class, he is seen as the future of that program. Julian Sayin is no different. The Ohio State quarterback room is very congested right now, which is great for competition, but not great for playing time. Generally, the cream will rise to the top, but when it comes to quarterbacks and college football, sometimes there is no need to rise because everybody else hits the transfer portal or “graduates.”

Regardless of how things shake out over the next year or two, there is no easy path to being the starting quarterback at Ohio State. But if it was an easy path that Sayin was looking for, he wouldn’t have chosen the two schools he did. Julian Sayin came to Ohio State to win a national championship and play at the highest level. To this point, he’s shown no reason to start doubting him now.

Julian Sayin has the anticipation, arm strength, and accuracy to be effective down the field. pic.twitter.com/2Em7yNpWED
— Tony Gerdeman (@TonyGerdeman) July 12, 2024

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