Julian Sayin Named QB1 at Ohio State — A Determination Rooted within the Win-Now Period

From the second former five-star prospect Julian Sayin dedicated to Ohio State on Jan. 19, 2024, simply two days after he entered the switch portal following the surprising retirement of Alabama head coach Nick Saban, there was a widespread presumption about how the rest of his profession with the Buckeyes would unfold. 

Julian Sayin, #10 of the Ohio State Buckeyes, jogs out for fall camp at Woody Hayes Athletic Heart. (Photograph by Jason Mowry/Getty Photographs)

Sayin, who was the highest-rated quarterback within the nation popping out of highschool, would spend his true freshman season studying and growing behind Will Howard, an expertise that wound up offering the teenager a front-row seat to the nationwide championship. From there, Sayin was anticipated to wrest management of the beginning job in 2025 and maintain it for nonetheless lengthy he remained in Columbus earlier than vaulting to the NFL, handing the keys to Tavien St. Clair — this system’s subsequent blue-chip quarterback — on his means out the door.

For many who subscribed to this succession plan, it didn’t matter that the Buckeyes had beforehand signed one other ballyhooed quarterback from the identical recruiting cycle in four-star prospect Air Noland, the No. 56 total participant and No. 4 signal-caller within the nation. Nor had been they deterred by the existence of Lincoln Kienholz, a growing veteran who had already spent a number of years in Ohio State’s system, studying the ins and outs of taking part in for head coach Ryan Day. These had been little greater than footnotes in a strongly worded thesis that vehemently believed Sayin was subsequent in line — interval.

Shortly after 11:30 a.m. on Monday, with fewer than two weeks remaining till third-ranked Ohio State hosts top-ranked Texas in some of the anticipated season openers in latest reminiscence (Midday ET, Aug. 30 on FOX), Day proved these droves of prognosticators right when he introduced that Sayin, a real sophomore, can be the crew’s beginning quarterback. The competitors between Sayin and Kienholz, a former four-star prospect in his personal proper, dragged on a contact longer than most individuals anticipated given the lofty expectations which have surrounded the previous for a number of years, significantly after he was named Most Helpful Participant on the Elite 11 Finals two summers in the past. 

However ultimately, when it got here time for Day to determine which quarterback ought to spearhead the Buckeyes’ protection of their nationwide title, he selected the participant for whom this chance has at all times felt considerably preordained. And in doing so, Day perpetuated probably the most en vogue pattern of recent school soccer whereby the shiny switch quarterback nearly at all times trumps the in-house choices. 

“In an ideal world,” Day mentioned at his information convention, “we’d like to recruit highschool gamers, develop them in this system for a number of years after which watch them develop and construct. However there’s no time to play the sport, to fiddle. I imply, you’ve gotta win now. So one of the best gamers play, and that’s how we take a look at it. We need to be certain that we’re recruiting one of the best gamers within the nation and growing them and retaining them, as a result of that’s how you retain a tradition in place. However you win video games proper now by taking part in one of the best gamers, in order that’s the steadiness that it’s essential discover.”

Quarterback Julian Sayin, #10 of the Ohio State Buckeyes, runs with the ball throughout the fourth quarter in opposition to Purdue. (Photograph by Ben Jackson/Getty Photographs)

To most observers of Ohio State’s program, it appeared inevitable that Sayin’s pure expertise would ultimately prevail, particularly contemplating how the profession arcs of each quarterbacks had been framed by Day and different members of the teaching employees relationship again to the spring of 2024, shortly after Sayin arrived from Alabama. A local of Carlsbad, California, which is lower than an hour north of San Diego, Sayin has at all times been considered because the prototypical West Coast quarterback, the form of participant with a candy launch and easy management to enrich his flowing mane of surfer-esque locks. He was ranked as a top-15 participant within the nation no matter place from March 2022, when he entered the 247Sports Composite rankings at No. 5 total, throughout the conclusion of his highschool profession. And alongside the way in which, Sayin threw for 7,824 yards with 85 touchdowns and solely 10 interceptions as a three-year starter. 

Ultimately, he surpassed Florida commit DJ Lagway and Nebraska commit Dylan Raiola to turn into the No. 1 quarterback within the nation earlier than enrolling early at Alabama in January 2024. 

The brevity of Sayin’s stint with the Crimson Tide — he entered the portal lower than two weeks after lessons started — meant that he was basically simply as inexperienced as Ohio State’s different highschool signees by the point he obtained to Columbus in late January. And whereas Sayin (6-foot-1, 203 kilos final 12 months) was noticeably shorter and skinnier than the statuesque Howard, who measured 6-4 and 236 kilos on the NFL Scouting Mix earlier this 12 months, it didn’t take lengthy for the freshman to impress together with his lightning-quick supply and pinpoint accuracy as a standard pocket passer. Chip Kelly, who was the Buckeyes’ offensive coordinator on the time, lauded Sayin final spring for being a “very quick processor” of all of the completely different seems to be and wrinkles thrown at him throughout apply. That description was echoed by new Ohio State defensive coordinator Matt Patricia earlier this week when requested about Sayin being named the starter.

“It was actually what I noticed in decision-making after I’m exhibiting completely different seems to be or having completely different coverages,” Patricia mentioned, “or [when] we’re rolling via practices with out scripts, you already know, the place issues are going to be transferring at somewhat little bit of a distinct tempo. With the ability to deal with the tempo of the offense and issues like that, the huddle changes on the line of scrimmage, you already know? We form of threw a bunch of various issues at them. And I feel his poise, his capacity to form of see the protection after which additionally make actually fast selections [was a step ahead]. 

“Lincoln is a good athlete, too. He did an incredible job in opposition to us, clearly. However Julian, I feel, simply his capacity to form of see the protection, decide and get the ball out fast, I feel that’s one of many belongings you need in a quarterback that’s going on the market on an enormous stage in an enormous sport right here.”

Maybe unknowingly, Patricia, who joined the Buckeyes in February, had put forth what’s arguably the proper summation of how Day & Co. have at all times considered this 12 months’s quarterback competitors between Sayin, the pure, and Kienholz, the athlete. The place Sayin had spent a lot of his upbringing and highschool profession devoted to taking part in soccer full-time, a luxurious afforded to him in Southern California’s heat local weather, Kienholz remained a formidable three-sport star via his ultimate days at T.F. Riggs Excessive Faculty in Pierre, South Dakota. 

As a quarterback, Kienholz threw for 9,100 yards and 104 touchdowns in three years to turn into the state’s all-time main passer. As a basketball participant, he averaged 19.9 factors and seven.3 rebounds per sport throughout his junior 12 months to earn first-team all-state honors. Just a few months later, on the baseball diamond, he hit .472 with six residence runs and went 3-0 with a 1.24 ERA as a standout pitcher. He was initially dedicated to Washington earlier than flipping to Ohio State on Dec. 14, 2022. 

Kienholz’s determination to finish his senior seasons of basketball and baseball in South Dakota, fairly than enrolling early at Ohio State, rapidly grew to become one of many defining storylines hooked up to his collegiate profession. Day reminded reporters repeatedly that Kienholz, now a junior, was half a 12 months youthful than a few of his classmates when it comes to time spent within the Buckeyes’ program and several other years youthful in positional growth than different quarterbacks who’d centered solely on soccer. Kienholz, not like Sayin, was nearly at all times described as a wonderful athlete nonetheless studying the finer factors of taking part in quarterback. And when teammates had been requested to distinguish between him and Sayin over the previous couple of months, nearly all of them talked about Kienholz’s mobility earlier than ever speaking about his arm. 

“Lincoln actually has carried out some nice issues,” Day mentioned. “As you guys know, he’s an amazing athlete. He’s solely nonetheless scratching the floor on what he will be. And so he’s going to proceed to develop. And I feel he is aware of that. I feel whenever you get round him, you’ll really feel that. If it was a quarterback who had been round soccer his total life and he was form of tapped out and hit a ceiling, he’d be extra pissed off [with the outcome of this year’s quarterback competition]. I feel he is aware of he’s nonetheless obtained plenty of runway right here for his profession. So he’s rising and getting higher day-after-day. You may see it.”

Julian Sayin #10 and Lincoln Kienholz #3 of the Ohio State Buckeyes apply a drill throughout fall camp at Woody Hayes Athletic Heart. (Photograph by Jason Mowry/Getty Photographs)

Given the contrasting talent units between Sayin and Kienholz, it’s fairly doable the Buckeyes can discover methods to make the most of the latter as a operating risk in sure packages this fall, very like they tried with former quarterback Devin Brown in 2024. Day acknowledged as a lot throughout his information convention earlier this week when explaining that Ohio State wants each of its quarterbacks wholesome to navigate the ever-lengthening school soccer season. There’s additionally a transparent hole between Kienholz and St. Clair, the five-star freshman, for the backup job. 

However Sayin’s anointment because the Buckeyes’ starter ensures there will probably be fewer and fewer reps trickling all the way down to Kienholz within the coming months, a tough capsule to swallow for a participant whose collegiate profession is greater than midway carried out. The game’s unyielding strain to win makes life as a developmental quarterback tougher than it is ever been earlier than.

“We clearly need somebody who can go the ball and has innate accuracy,” Day mentioned. “That’s actually one thing that has to occur.”

Michael Cohen covers school soccer and school basketball for FOX Sports activities. Observe him at @Michael_Cohen13.

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