Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Julian Sayin didn't mince words on the team's Big Ten Championship Game loss to the Indiana Hoosiers and the season-ending Cotton Bowl Classic loss to the Miami Hurricanes this past December.
On Tuesday, Sayin explained how the roster has a collective chip on its shoulder from the losses. Perhaps he was giving a peek into the team's mindset as a fallen powerhouse looks to restore its former glory in 2026.
"We didn't end the way we wanted it to. We wanted to get a championship trophy, and it didn't end that way. So I think the whole program has a chip on our shoulder coming out this year," Sayin said on the Panini America Mobile Tour's Columbus stop.
When you look up and down the roster, there are a few players and coaches who have every right to have a chip on their shoulder.
Bo Jackson was not given a proper chance to succeed under Brian Hartline
Bo Jackson was behind the 8-ball under Brian Hartline last season. Hartline clearly preferred the passing game and didn't seem to use the run as anything but a misdirection to keep defenses on their toes. The passing game was the appetizer, main course, and dessert, while the run was the bread and maybe also the post-dessert coffee.
Jackson still thrived, but his snap count fell off during the B1G title game and the CFP. He was handed the ball just 11 times against Miami, mainly because OSU was battling back from a two-score deficit from the first half onward. Hartline didn't have a game plan, and Ryan Day played into the Canes' strength with their edge-rushers by leaning on a not-very-mobile Sayin.
The largely intact offensive line lost respect from the two losses
While the offensive line is bringing nearly everyone back besides Tegra Tshabola, they are carrying the burden of having fallen apart on the national stage. Hartline is partly to blame again, though Austin Siereveld's disappointments were solely due to his inability to contain Rueben Bain Jr., Akheem Mesidor, Mikail Kamara, and Stephen Daley before that. Siereveld may be replaced full-time by Ian Moore on the blindside.
We'll see if the adjustments made in the new offensive formations will improve the run and better protect Sayin moving forward.
Arthur Smith comes off a rough stint with the Pittsburgh Steelers
The man play-calling the new-look offense, Arthur Smith, isn't exactly coming into Central Ohio with all the momentum in the world. His tenure with the Pittsburgh Steelers was widely panned for being unimaginative and not unleashing Aaron Rodgers' arm with downfield direction.
Smith has a lot to prove, and he has already proven some in spring practice. He needs to do it when the games count, though, before Buckeye Nation turns its ire on him. Smith is coming off two rough tenures, so he should be looking to prove he can achieve great things with the right talent. Truthfully, that's what the entire team needs to prove in some way, shape, or form in 2026.
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