Last season, the Ohio State Buckeyes were the favorites to win the national championship for most of the season. However, the final two games of the season ended in disappointment for the Buckeyes, losing the Big Ten Championship and the Cotton Bowl.
Julian Sayin was in his first year as a starter and was a Heisman Finalist. Despite this, he has some haters who don't think that he's anything more than a glorified game manager. An anonymous Big Ten coach doesn't seem too impressed with what Sayin was able to do last season.
Big Ten coach crushes Ohio State QB Julian Sayin for not doing enough
In an article from ESPN's Adam Rittenberg, an anonymous coach told him that he didn't think Sayin did anything special last season.
"In the games that we played, there wasn't much that I saw from [Sayin], other than he just ran the offense very well."
That's a crazy statement, considering Sayin set a Big Ten record for completion percentage last year, completing 77 percent of passes. Sayin has also improved his scrambling in the Spring has put on some muscle, which has increased his weight. He is much stouter than he was last year.
Ohio State played the two worst games of the season at the end of the year. In those two games, Sayin was sacked 10 times. Part of that was bad offensive line play, and part of that was a reluctance to scramble. However, he should be much better in his second season.
Sayin will have fewer weapons to work with, as well. Carnell Tate was the fourth overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, so he is down a great receiver. While he still has Jeremiah Smith to throw the ball to, he won't have two great options at all times as he did a year ago.
Ohio State expects to be a national title contender with Julian Sayin
The Buckeyes fully expect to be in the thick of the national title race with Sayin under center. Last season, he still threw for 3,610 yards and 32 touchdowns. In Arthur Smith's new system, there will be an opportunity for a lot of motion from the wide receivers, giving them an advantage.
Sayin will be trusted to push the ball downfield more as a second-year starter. Last season, Sayin was eased into the offense, especially against Texas in Week 1. However, he has earned the trust of the coaching staff now. He will be able to fire it deep from the very first snap.
If Sayin has a strong year, he will be a first-round pick in next year's draft. That is Sayin's ultimate goal after winning a national championship. He would become the third quarterback since Ryan Day became a head coach to go in the first round of the draft.
Sayin has a lot to prove to NFL scouts that he is more than just an effective game manager. He can actually be the focal point of an offense, too.
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