Julian Sayin

Julian Sayin
Sayin with the Ohio State Buckeyes in 2025
No. 10 – Ohio State Buckeyes
PositionQuarterback
Class Sophomore
Personal information
Born (2005-07-23) July 23, 2005
Listed height6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Listed weight208 lb (94 kg)
Career information
High schoolCarlsbad (Carlsbad, California)
College
Awards and highlights
Career statistics as of Week 14, 2025
Passing attempts339
Passing completions263
Completion percentage77.6%
TD–INT31–5
Passing yards3,149
Passer efficiency182.8
Rushing yards51
Rushing touchdowns0
Stats at ESPN

Julian Sayin (SAY-ən; born July 23, 2005) is an American college football quarterback for the Ohio State Buckeyes. He is a former five-star recruit who began his career as an early enrollee for the Alabama Crimson Tide before transferring to Ohio State.

Early life

Sayin grew up in Solana Beach, California and attended Carlsbad High School in Carlsbad.[1][2] Sayin sat behind his brother, Aidan, his freshman season. He became the Lancers' starting quarterback entering his sophomore year and finished the season with 2,769 passing yards with 34 touchdowns and five interceptions.[3] Sayin passed for 2,708 yards and 27 touchdowns as a junior.[4] On June 27, 2022, Sayin was announced as one of the quarterbacks to play in the 2024 Polynesian Bowl.[5] He participated in the finals of the 2023 Elite 11 quarterback competition and was named the tournament's MVP.[6][7][8] Sayin also participated in the QB retreat competition in 2023 with Steve Clarkson.[9] Sayin was named captain of the football team before the 2023 season.[10] In his final season, he had 2,369 passing yards, 24 touchdowns, and one interception, adding four additional rushing touchdowns.

Notably, in his 2025 full-season campaign, Sayin fell just short of breaking Bo Nix of Oregon's 2023 NCAA Football Pass Completion Percentage record, finishing at 77.0% to Nix's 77.5%. Sayin was on pace to break the record, but was derailed by a poor performance during a losing effort to Miami in the 2025 Cotton Bowl, where Sayin completed just 22 of 35 passes with 2 interceptions, just two missed completions shy of Nix's record.[11][12][13]

College recruiting information
Name Hometown School Height Weight Commit date
Julian Sayin
QB 		Carlsbad, CA Carlsbad High School 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Nov 2, 2022 
Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (91)

Sayin was rated a five-star recruit and the second-best quarterback prospect in the 2024 class.[14][15][16][17] He received his first scholarship offer when he was in 8th grade from Kenny Dillingham, then the offensive coordinator at Florida State.[1] Sayin committed to play college football at Alabama during his junior season after considering offers from Georgia and LSU.[18][19] He had other notable offers from Notre Dame, Texas, and Florida.[20]

High school statistics

Season Passing Rushing Season
Cmp Att Pct Yds TD Int Rtg Att Yds TD Win Loss
2020 7 14 50.0 124 1 0 104.5 3 57 0 0 0
2021 181 253 71.5 2,769 34 5 138.7 35 208 2 11 1
2022 163 245 66.5 2,708 27 4 133.5 26 154 3 10 2
2023 160 212 75.5 2,369 24 1 147.3 29 186 4 9 1
Career 511 724 70.6 7,970 86 10 140.6 93 605 9 30 4

College career

Alabama

Sayin began practicing as an early enrollee with Alabama during the 2023 season in preparation for the 2024 Rose Bowl.[21] On January 19, 2024, Sayin entered the transfer portal following the retirement of Nick Saban.[22]

Ohio State

2024 season

See also: 2024 Ohio State Buckeyes football team

On January 21, 2024, Sayin announced he was transferring to Ohio State.[23] On January 31, he signed a name, image, and likeness (NIL) deal with Panini America, a trading card company owned by Panini Group.[24] On February 14, 2024, Sayin signed another NIL deal this time with an Ohio State-driven collective known as The Foundation.[25] Sayin threw his first collegiate touchdown against Western Michigan on September 7, 2024. Sayin made a few more appearances throughout the season, and was part of the 2025 College Football Playoff National Championship team.

2025 season

See also: 2025 Ohio State Buckeyes football team

On August 18, 2025, Sayin was named the starting quarterback as a redshirt freshman following the departure of Will Howard to the 2025 NFL Draft.[26] In his first start, Sayin led the Buckeyes to a 14–7 victory over No. 1 Texas, completing 13 of 20 passes for 126 yards and one touchdown.[27] The following week, he went 18 of 19 for 306 yards with four touchdowns and one interception in a 70–0 win against Grambling State.[28] In a Week 8 victory against Wisconsin, Sayin completed 36 of 42 passes for a career-high 393 yards and four touchdowns.[29] He led the Buckeyes to an undefeated 12–0 regular season, earning a No. 1 national ranking and a berth in the 2025 Big Ten Football Championship Game against Indiana. Sayin completed 21 of 29 passes for 258 yards with one touchdown and one interception in a 13–10 loss. In the CFP quarterfinal at the Cotton Bowl, Sayin and Ohio State were defeated by Miami, 24–14. He finished the game 22 of 35 for 287 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions.[30]

Sayin concluded the season with 301 completions on 391 attempts (77.0% completion rate, third-best all-time in FBS) for 3,610 yards, 32 touchdowns, and eight interceptions. He was named Second-Team All-Big Ten and received both the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year and Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors.[31] He also finished fourth in Heisman Trophy voting.[32]

Notably, in his 2025 full-season campaign, Sayin fell just short of breaking Bo Nix of Oregon's 2023 NCAA Football Pass Completion Percentage record, finishing at 77.0% to Nix's 77.5%. Sayin was on pace to break the record, but was derailed by a poor performance during a losing effort to Miami in the 2025 Cotton Bowl. Where Sayin completed just 22 of 35 passes with 2 interceptions, falling just two missed completions shy of Nix's record.[33][34][35]

College statistics

See also: NCAA Division I FBS passing leaders
Legend
Led NCAA Division I FBS
Bold Career high
Season Team Games Passing Rushing
GP GS Record Cmp Att Pct Yds Y/A TD Int Rtg Att Yds Avg TD
2023 Alabama 0 0 — Early enrollee
2024 Ohio State 4 0 — 5 12 41.7 84 7.0 1 0 128.0 2 24 12.0 0
2025 Ohio State 14 14 12–2 301 391 77.0 3,610 9.2 32 8 177.5 42 –44 –1.0 0
Career 18 14 12–2 306 403 75.9 3,694 9.2 33 8 176.0 44 –20 –0.5 0

Personal life

Sayin's older brother, Aidan, was the starting quarterback at the University of Pennsylvania.[36] His older sister, Bailey, played soccer at the University of Chicago.[37]

References

  1. ^ a b Backstrom, Andy (August 19, 2024). "Julian Sayin: A fast processor, interrupted at Alabama, accelerating at Ohio State". On3. Retrieved November 15, 2024.
  2. ^ Goodbread, Chase (August 20, 2023). "Just Sayin: Takeaways from Alabama 5-star QB commit Julian Sayin's first game". The Tuscaloosa News. Retrieved September 7, 2023.
  3. ^ Lichtenstein, Adam (April 11, 2022). "Hurricanes in mix for Julian Sayin, a five-star quarterback". Sun Sentinel. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
  4. ^ Alvarez, Nick (June 16, 2023). "Alabama QB commit Julian Sayin shines at Elite 11 Finals, wins MVP". AL.com. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
  5. ^ Biggins, Greg (June 27, 2022). "2024 Polynesian Bowl announces five-star QB Julian Sayin". 247Sports.com. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
  6. ^ Smith III, Kennington (June 16, 2023). "Alabama football recruiting: Julian Sayin at Elite 11 Finals, other key June developments". The Athletic. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
  7. ^ Davis, Peyton (June 20, 2023). "2024 ALABAMA COMMIT JULIAN SAYIN WINS 2023 ELITE 11 MVP". WVUA23.com. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
  8. ^ Linton, Chance (June 17, 2023). "Elite 11 announced: Julian Sayin headlines as 2023's MVP, top quarterback". 247Sports.com. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
  9. ^ Weaver, Tim (May 31, 2023). "Julian Sayin, 5-star Alabama commit shows diverse arm talent at QB Retreat". USA Today. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
  10. ^ Sentell, Jeff (August 1, 2022). "Julian Sayin: How much will NIL opportunities factor in the decision of the 5-star Georgia football QB target?". Dawg Nation. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
  11. ^ Kamran, Ahmad (January 1, 2026). "Julian Sayin Admitted Grave Mistake in Cotton Bowl That Made OSU Fans Rage Quit". essentiallysports. Retrieved January 1, 2026.
  12. ^ Crabtree, Drew (January 1, 2026). "What Went Wrong for Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl". lastwordonsports. Retrieved January 1, 2026.
  13. ^ "Julian Sayin - Football Player Stats". ESPN. Retrieved January 2, 2026.
  14. ^ Cohen, Michael (June 16, 2023). "Elite 11 Finals takeaways: Alabama commit Julian Sayin steals the show". Fox Sports. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
  15. ^ Puterski, Steve (August 21, 2023). "Carlsbad, Julian Sayin prepare for ESPN spotlight this weekend". The Coast News. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
  16. ^ Buhler, Andy (September 10, 2023). "Julian Sayin is special: Alabama quarterback commit backing up hype". SI.com. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
  17. ^ Wasserman, Ari (June 21, 2023). "Alabama-bound Julian Sayin and why you haven't seen the last of Nick Saban". The Athletic. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
  18. ^ Baumgartner, Blake (November 2, 2022). "QB Julian Sayin, No. 34 in 2024 ESPN 300, commits to Alabama". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 7, 2023.
  19. ^ Jeyarajah, Shehan (November 2, 2022). "Alabama football recruiting: Julian Sayin, top 2024 QB in California, commits to Tide over Georgia, LSU". CBS Sports. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
  20. ^ "Julian Sayin - Football Recruiting Profile". ESPN. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
  21. ^ Gaither, Joe (December 19, 2023). "Alabama Quarterback Jalen Milroe Praises Early Enrolee Julian Sayin". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved December 19, 2023.
  22. ^ Cobb, David (January 19, 2024). "Alabama QB Julian Sayin in transfer portal: Why Ohio State is favored to land former five-star recruit". CBSSports.com. CBS Sports. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
  23. ^ Thamel, Pete (January 21, 2024). "Former Alabama QB Julian Sayin to transfer to Ohio State". ESPN. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
  24. ^ Nakos, Pete (January 31, 2024). "Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin signs NIL deal with Panini America". On3. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
  25. ^ Nakos, Pete (February 14, 2024). "Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin inks NIL deal with The Foundation collective". On3. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
  26. ^ Murphy, Patrick (August 18, 2025). "Ohio State names Julian Sayin starting quarterback for 2025". 247sports.com. Retrieved August 18, 2025.
  27. ^ Reedy, Joe (August 30, 2025). "Sayin, defense propel No. 3 Ohio State past top-ranked Texas 14-7". Associated Press. Retrieved November 29, 2025.
  28. ^ Reedy, Joe (September 6, 2025). "Julian Sayin and No. 1 Ohio State blow out Grambling State 70‑0". Associated Press. Retrieved April 2, 2026.
  29. ^ Megargee, Steve (October 18, 2025). "Sayin throws 4 TD passes as No. 1 Ohio State throttles Wisconsin 34-0". Associated Press. Retrieved November 29, 2025.
  30. ^ "Julian Sayin 2025 Game Log". Sports‑Reference.com College Football. Retrieved April 2, 2026.
  31. ^ "Julian Sayin Named Shaun Alexander Freshman of The Year". Ohio State Buckeyes. December 30, 2025. Retrieved April 2, 2026.
  32. ^ Curtright, Austin (December 9, 2025). "College football awards: Full list of winners, finalists in 2025". USA Today. Retrieved May 22, 2026.
  33. ^ Kamran, Ahmad (January 1, 2026). "Julian Sayin Admitted Grave Mistake in Cotton Bowl That Made OSU Fans Rage Quit". essentiallysports. Retrieved January 1, 2026.
  34. ^ Crabtree, Drew (January 1, 2026). "What Went Wrong for Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl". lastwordonsports. Retrieved January 1, 2026.
  35. ^ "Julian Sayin - Football Player Stats". ESPN. Retrieved January 2, 2026.
  36. ^ Navarro, Manny (March 16, 2023). "Why Alabama is the ideal fit for 5-star QB Julian Sayin: 'He wants to be held accountable'". The Athletic. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
  37. ^ Maffei, John (November 17, 2022). "Gifted Sayin leads Carlsbad into Open Division final". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.