There’s a lot of talk that he could be the No. 2 ahead of Devin Brown & Co.
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The main competition we are going to be zoning in on for the next few weeks is clearly between the quarterbacks. While it seems like Will Howard will almost certainly be the starter, the question remains of who his backup will be. Devin Brown might be the obvious choice, but the chatter is growing for true freshman Julian Sayin to slide into that role.
The QB depth chart that the Buckeyes have is truly insane. Brown is now entering his third year in the system, Lincoln Kienholz is entering his second, and two of the most talented freshmen quarterbacks in the country are both on the Ohio State roster. While Air Noland isn’t progressing as quickly as Sayin, the fact remains that he was a five-star recruit and is very good.
However, Sayin has shot up the depth chart since winter practices started. It’s crazy to think that in January, he was enrolled at Alabama early, took a couple weeks of classes, then decided to enter the transfer portal and come to Ohio State. So, within the span of a little over six months, he will possibly surpass three other extremely talented QBs.
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So, what makes Sayin so good? He showed through his recruiting process that he has a high ceiling with a lot of room for development. He held a 90 overall recruiting grade in February 2022 and saw that rating steadily grow to 98 overall in less than a year, earning five-star status along the way.
He has earned high praise for his arm, both in its strength and accuracy. Sayin completed 74.5% of his passes for 2,347 yards and 24 touchdowns with one interception during his senior season and was then named the Gatorade Player of the Year in California. As a result, he was invited to the Elite 11 camp and earned MVP honors.
National recruiting analyst Greg Biggins wrote “[Sayin] has excellent pocket mobility and short-area quickness. He’s very accurate to all three levels of the field, has a tight release, and throws exceptionally well off-platform and with different arm angles.”
That is a very impressive resume for a true freshman who has been hyped up to be the unofficial No. 1 dual-threat QB in his class. After the failed Kyle McCord experiment, I think Buckeye fans are very happy to hear “excellent pocket mobility” describing one of their quarterbacks. Obviously it will be interesting to see how that talent translates to the collegiate level, but he will already have a head start if he has a solid foundation.
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It sounds like Sayin could be one of the next top quarterbacks in the country. While he probably won’t be the starter this season, this year could prime him to be the No. 1 next year. Learning from veteran Howard and having a year of the Ohio State system under his belt could prove to be exactly what he needs to be the next Buckeye star QB.