Last season was Julian Sayin's first season as the leader of the Ohio State Buckeyes. All he did was lead the team to a 12-0 regular-season record and become a Heisman Trophy Finalist. While the end of the season didn't end the way he wanted to, it was a solid first year as a starter.
It doesn't seem that others think that way. Analysts across the country continue to disrespect him in preseason rankings at the quarterback position. The latest to do that is David Pollack, as he has Sayin ranked below a couple of quarterbacks that he probably shouldn't be.
David Pollack ranks Ohio State QB Julian Sayin the third-best quarterback in the country
In his preseason list of quarterback rankings on See Ball Get Ball, Pollack has Sayin ranked third. That isn't so bad, especially when you listen to his reasoning.
"His superpower is accuracy. The comparisons to Drew Brees should be very legit. Efficiency, deep ball, everything this dude does is surgical."
That sounds good, as all of those points are valid. However, one of the quarterbacks he has rated above Sayin is complete nonsense. He has Arch Manning ranked second. The very same Arch Manning who lost to Sayin last season in the first game of the season.
The Arch Manning hype has reached crazy levels of glazing. Everyone seems to be throwing out the first four games that Manning played last season, when Texas fans wanted him replaced as the starter. Meanwhile, all Sayin did was ball out from the start of the year.
Pollack has Trinidad Chambliss as the top quarterback in the country, which is reasonable. He played very well in the postseason a year ago. I would have accepted Dante Moore being rated higher, but he actually has Moore ranked one spot below Sayin. But to have a Heisman Finalist ranked below Manning is nuts.
Ohio State is looking to prove all of the Julian Sayin naysayers wrong
Sayin will have ample opportunity to prove all of his critics wrong this year. The Buckeyes have a very tough schedule this season, starting with a rematch with Manning and the Longhorns in Week 2. They also play Indiana, Oregon, and USC this season, playing two of those teams on the road.
If Sayin is able to navigate the Buckeyes through this schedule unscathed, there will be no question that he is the best quarterback in the country. Even if Ohio State doesn't go undefeated, making the College Football Playoff with that schedule should warrant another Heisman Finalist year.
A season like that would mean that Sayin has pushed himself into becoming a first-round draft pick despite his unremarkable size. The NFL has been comfortable taking smaller quarterbacks high in the first round of the draft in recent years, and Sayin is incredibly accurate, which is what GMs love.
If Sayin is able to play to his ceiling, Ohio State should be winning its second national championship in three seasons. That's how good he can be.
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