The Ohio State Buckeyes couldn’t defend their title last season, but Ryan Day’s team is always tabbed with huge aspirations.
This season isn’t the exception to that rule, more so with a budding star like Julian Sayin under center. Sayin, a projected NFL first-round pick, struggled under pressure and in collapsed pockets, but he still showed flashes of great talent when given enough time and room to operate.
According to his head coach, that shouldn’t be an issue next season. When asked about Sayin, Day had nothing but great things to say about his young signal-caller.
Ryan Day says Julian Sayin is “a different person”
“When you look in his eye now, you see a different person,” Day said at the Big Ten Media Days, per On3. “I think the first thing you recognize is his accuracy. What you don’t see, but I see, is his intelligence level. He can handle high levels of information. He’s highly, highly motivated. He’s really embraced this leadership role.”
Day also claimed that Sayin got stronger after last season. However, his skinny frame wasn’t necessarily what held him back. Sayin turned the ball over at a high clip late in the season, including a 72-yard pick-six in the heartbreaking playoff loss to the Hurricanes.
Still, with one of the premier sets of offensive players in the nation, including projected top-five pick Jeremiah Smith, one of the premier coaching staffs in the game and time to look back on his mistakes, bulk up and work on his fundamentals, Sayin should be in for a breakout year in 2026.
