Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day gave what seemed like coach-speak on the surface, and ultimately is because he's the coach of the player he talked up, but his statement on OSU quarterback Julian Sayin is a clear message to his competition that he knows what he has under center: the best signal-caller in the country.
During an appearance on his show, Day claimed, “We feel like we have the best quarterback coming back in college football next year. One of the youngest guys to get to New York City, I think, in a while. Most of the guys who've been going there are older guys. So we’re all excited about this year for him and taking the next step, even as a leader, and all the different things. But obviously a great first year for him.”
Eat your hearts out, Arch Manning and CJ Carr. The Texas Longhorns and Notre Dame Fighting Irish QBs are No. 1 and No. 2 in Heisman odds, just above Sayin. Perhaps it's time the Buckeyes break a 20-year drought of Heisman winners in Columbus.
Troy Smith could use some company from a fellow Ohio State signal-caller in the history books.
Arthur Smith holds Julian Sayin's Heisman hopes in his hands
Where things get complicated is that new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith is not exactly known for Heisman-generating moments with his play-calling. Of course, this is his first foray into play-calling at the college level, since he was promoted through the Tennessee Titans organization, in the state in which his father founded FedEx, to his first play-calling job in football.
Smith might be able to unlock Sayin's abilities more by setting up the run well with Bo Jackson, Isaiah West, and Co. He may also stifle the unpredictability and big-play intuition of an offense that thrived under pass-first Brian Hartline.
No one knows in February how the Heisman race will shape up. Manning and Carr added plenty of talent; Carr's Fighting Irish directly from the Buckeyes with Quincy Porter and Mylan Graham's defections. Sayin lost Carnell Tate, but still has Jeremiah Smith.
We'll see how this all plays out on the field. Certainly, Day let every quarterback in the country, including the two supposedly ahead of Sayin, how he thinks it will.