COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) 鈥� Julian Sayin is back, bigger and stronger for a second season as the starting quarterback at Ohio State.
Will he be better?
That is among the biggest questions facing the Buckeyes, who finished No. 5 in the Associated Press poll last season after spending most of the year at No. 1.
From a statistical standpoint, improving will not be easy.
Sayin threw for 3,610 yards and 32 touchdowns with eight interceptions in 2025, when he won the Shaun Alexander National Freshman of the Year award and was a Heisman Trophy finalist.
He set single-season Ohio State program record with a completion percentage of 77.0, good for third all time in the NCAA behind Bo Nix and Mac Jones, but he was possibly a quarter, a drive or even a throw away from winning the Heisman.
With the Buckeyes trailing Indiana 13-10 in the third quarter of the Big Ten Championship Game in December, Sayin got them to the Indiana 5, but they turned it over on downs when his knee went down short of the line to gain on a 4th-and-1 quarterback sneak.
On the following drive, Sayin then got them back to the Indiana 9, but his third down pass to Bennett Christian was broken up in the end zone, and Jayden Fielding missed a short field goal that would have tied the game with 2:48 left.
That meant the Big Ten championship and Heisman Trophies went to Indiana鈥檚 Fernando Mendoza instead, and the IU signal-caller went on to lead the Hoosiers to the national title before becoming the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft by the Las Vegas Raiders.
At the other end of the spectrum, Sayin and the Buckeyes endured a long offseason after an upset loss to Miami (Fla.) in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals, but head coach Ryan Day said he liked what he saw in his quarterback at the end of the offseason program last month.
鈥淵ou鈥檝e experienced ups and downs, you鈥檙e not going to ride the emotional roller coaster that maybe you would as a young player,鈥� Day said during Big Ten Media Days in Chicago July 29. 鈥淲hen you look in his eye now, you see a different person, you see a different body. He鈥檚 worked hard. He鈥檚 gotten stronger. He鈥檚 found his voice even more, and he鈥檚 got a great look in his eye. I think he鈥檚 poised for a great season.鈥�
The different body is thanks to another offseason with Ohio State director of football sport performance Mickey Marotti, who also counts cultivating quarterback leadership among his developmental duties.
鈥淛ulian鈥檚 taking strides in that area for sure, and how do you know? Because his teammates talk about him that way,鈥� Day said.
The 6-1, 214-pound Sayin never will be a physically imposing figure like Josh Allen 鈥� or even Joe Burrow 鈥� but more strength and bulk should help him navigate another season at the top level of college football more smoothly.
鈥淐oach 鈥楳ick鈥� pushed me pretty hard, and I think the extra weight has helped me in throwing the ball and running the ball,鈥� Sayin said.
He was already displaying more zip on his passes during red zone drills Saturday.
鈥淚 think stronger base and a little bit stronger legs is able to help increase that pace,鈥� Sayin said. 鈥淐oach Day always says there鈥檚 nobody open in the red zone. Everything鈥檚 going to be tight, so you have to throw with a ton of pace and we鈥檝e gotta make great catches.鈥�
Sayin鈥檚 words figure to carry more weight in his second season as a starter, be it barking out plays or directing choice words at guys on the other side of the ball during another hot practice day in Columbus.
鈥淚 think if you鈥檙e the quarterback and you鈥檙e out there trash talking the defense, the O-line loves it and they feed into it. It鈥檚 a lot of fun,鈥� Sayin said.
___
AP college football: and
Copyright © 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
