Julian Sayin led the entire country in accuracy, made the Heisman finalist cut as the only underclassman -- and still went home empty, beaten on the one stage that mattered. He's back for the part he didn't finish.
Buzz vs Tape
His own fans are far more bullish than the rival fanbase.
Ohio State Buckeyes energize fans with the reveal of five bold new football jerseys, setting the stage for a high-intensity offseason. Could this sartorial shakeup spark breakout performances from stars like Jeremiah Smith, Julian Sayin…
— Locked On Podcast Network
Also worth knowing:
Fan claims · every quote verified verbatim
QB1 Julian Sayin (All B1G, B1G Frosh of Year, All American, National Frosh of Year, National Champion)
Based on 1 comment across 1 thread · Aug 1, 2026 · via Buckeye Football
Sayin's first act was a quiet kind of stardom. The former Alabama signee who left when Nick Saban retired found his home at Ohio State, and in his first year starting he completed 77% of his passes -- the best in the nation -- for 3,610 yards and 32 touchdowns. He was the only underclassman invited to New York as a Heisman finalist.
What he didn't get was the trophy or the title. Indiana beat Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship and Fernando Mendoza ran off with the Heisman; the door Sayin had pried open swung shut on the biggest stage. That's the engine of his 2026: fans don't just want him better, they want it finished.
He's built to deliver -- 14 career starts now, the nation's best receiver in Jeremiah Smith, and a roster that opens the year as a national-title favorite. The forward question isn't whether Sayin is good; the nation-leading numbers settled that. It's whether the quiet accuracy becomes a closer's resume -- and whether the next time the season comes down to one game, the result flips.
Career Arc
Trophy Case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
ALL-CONFERENCE · 1ST TEAM
All-Conf 1st team (2025)
All-Big Ten
2025 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
Splits & context
Supporting Cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Ryan Day
Awards
Player Standing · 17 rungs
Tier 3 · RecognizedAll-Conference HM / 2nd team. Conference recognition has started.
Recognition
Production
Trophy Case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
ALL-CONFERENCE · 1ST TEAM
All-Conf 1st team (2025)
All-Big Ten
Career stats
| Season | Team | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Ohio State | 301 | 391 | 77.0% | 3,610 | 9.2 | 32 | 8 | 177.5 | -- | -- |
| 2024 | Ohio State | 5 | 12 | 41.7% | 84 | 7.0 | 1 | 0 | 128.0 | -- | -- |
| Career | 306 | 403 | 75.9% | 3,694 | 9.2 | 33 | 8 | 176.0 | -- | -- |
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Ohio State | 42 | -44 | -1.0 | 0 | -- |
| 2024 | Ohio State | 2 | 24 | 12.0 | 0 | -- |
| Career | 44 | -20 | -0.5 | 0 | -- |
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 5 · 2025
W 24–6
at Washington
208 yds · 2 TD · 0 INT · QBR 88.9 · 12 rush yds (4 car)
How he plays
Play style
Sayin's 2025 wasn't just good, it was statistically absurd: he finished in the 99th percentile nationally in completion percentage, in expected points per dropback, and in success rate -- the three numbers that matter most, all at the ceiling. The game looks easy because he plays it fast and clean; he was sacked on barely 1.5% of his dropbacks, top-five in the country at getting the ball out. He isn't a gunslinger pushing it deep -- his average throw was middle-of-the-pack in air yards -- he's a precision machine who takes exactly what the defense gives and never gives it back. The honest questions trail every efficient passer in a loaded offense: at 6-1 he doesn't tower, and with Jeremiah Smith outside, skeptics ask how much is him. In Ohio State's attack he's the conductor -- and 2026 is the year he answers the doubt the only way a quarterback can, by carrying a title himself.
Our classifier reads him the same way: operates within the system without forcing anything.
2026 Outlook
Ohio State
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Quarterback · Ohio State
Returning around him
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
Ohio State · Last season: 12-2 (AP #3) · Talent rank #3 · 2026 recruiting class #4
Perception vs tape
Sayin's first act was a quiet kind of stardom. The former Alabama signee who left when Nick Saban retired found his home at Ohio State, and in his first year starting he completed 77% of his passes -- the best in the nation -- for 3,610 yards and 32 touchdowns.
Read the story →DNA match
Player DNA
Balanced passer who operates within the system, without one standout number carrying the profile.
His 2025 production profile sits closest to C.J. Stroud’s 2021 season.
Matches C.J. on
Differs from C.J. on
Through 1 college season, his career arc tracks closest to Bo Nix’s path through Oregon.
Matches Bo on
Differs from Bo on
As a sophomore, his production profile tracks closest to Aidan O'Connell's sophomore season at Purdue (2021).
Differs from Aidan on
Heisman trajectory
Heisman futures · sportsbook market
#4 in market ▼ from #3 · 5 books
Heisman Trajectory · 2025
Peaked at #9 — top-10 conversation.
Development
Development Trajectory · passing yards
2024–2025Up 4198% from first season to most-recent.
Background
Career Highs 36 Completions at Wisconsin (Oct. 18, 2025) 42 Attempts at Wisconsin (Oct. 18, 2025) 393 Passing Yards at Wisconsin (Oct. 18, 2025) 94.7 Completion Percentage vs. Grambling (Sept. 6, 2025) 4 Passing Touchdowns (Three times – last vs. Penn State on Nov. 1, 2025) 87 Long Completion vs....