50 For 50: Will Julian Sayin Go Gopher Hunting This Fall?

Welcome to our daily feature that I am calling “50 for 50” where I attempt to get us to Big Ten Media Days — which are 18 days away — with a daily sampling of what we can look forward to this upcoming college football season. Today’s edition features Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin, safety Jaylen McClain, and more.

As always, we will do this via the following categories: the 50 biggest individual matchups for the Buckeyes this season, the 50 most important college football games this season, 50 Buckeye things to look forward to this season, 50 national predictions, 50 Big Ten predictions, and 50 predictions involving the Buckeyes.

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Biggest Buckeye Matchups

MINNESOTA SAF KOI PERICH VS. OHIO STATE QB JULIAN SAYIN

Koi Perich was one of the nation’s top safety prospects last year, and for good reason. He signed with his home-state Gophers and led the Big Ten with five interceptions in 2024. He was an All-Big Ten selection and is expected to be one of the best players in the conference this season. When the Buckeyes and Gophers play on October 4, Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin will always need to know where Perich is aligned. He can’t be late with throws and he has to be willing to check down. This won’t be the biggest game of the year for Julian Sayin, but it’s going to be a very good matchup against one of the nation’s top defensive players.

Most Important Games

USC TROJANS AT ILLINOIS FIGHTING ILLINI, SEPT. 27

This is one of those sneaky good games. It will be more important than most people believe. If Illinois can get past a trip to Bloomington the week before, then you could have two 4-0 teams meeting in this one. The winner will clear a hurdle, while the loser will have to make up for this loss somewhere else. This just feels like one of those games where the sidelines are as chippy as the line of scrimmage. Bret Bielema will do something in this game that gets people talking. Lincoln Riley may have people talking as well, but not in a good way.

Things To Look Forward To

SAFETY JAYLEN MCCLAIN CONSTANTLY BEING AROUND THE BALL.

It is going to be interesting to watch the Ohio State safeties this year and the way they are utilized. We know Caleb Downs is going to be on the field quite a bit, but he’ll be sharing some duties with junior Malik Hartford and sophomore Jaylen McClain. McClain had an outstanding season last year as a true freshman. Safeties coach Matt Guerrieri has lauded him for his ability to find the football. McClain is a smart and natural football player, and he’s just getting started.

National College Football Predictions

BOSTON COLLEGE IS NOT GOING BOWLING.

Boston College went to a second-consecutive bowl game last year, spanning two different head coaches. I think that streak is ending this year, and not just because there isn’t a third different head coach at the helm. A win at Michigan State in week two is a must, but it’s also unlikely. The only sure win on the schedule is Fordham, though the rest of the slate features mostly ACC teams, so nothing is truly impossible.

Big Ten Football Predictions

KIRK FERENTZ WILL ANNOUNCE HIS RETIREMENT THIS YEAR.

In Kirk Ferentz’s 26 years at Iowa, the Hawkeyes have had a losing record just four times — and two of those were his first two seasons after coming over from Maine. The game is changing and Ferentz has done his best to not change along with it. Eventually, however, he’s going to call it a career, and there’s no time like the present. The next question is whether or not Iowa will go after former Hawkeye football player Bret Bielema to replace him.

Ohio State Football Predictions

NO TRUE FRESHMAN WILL START A GAME.

This may not seem like much of a prediction, but what if I told you that an Ohio State true freshman has started at least one game every year for the Buckeyes since 2019. It was defensive tackle Eddrick Houston last year and cornerback Jermaine Mathews the year before. The rest of the list includes Jyaire Brown in 2022, TreVeyon Henderson (among others) in 2021, Julian Fleming in 2020, and Zach Harrison in 2019. The more interesting thought here, however, is that based on history, a true freshman is likely to start at some point this year. So who will it be? Cornerback Devin Sanchez? Running back Bo Jackson? Safety Faheem Delane? It’s not a long list, but it’s something to keep in mind.

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