How Ohio State is developing one of the best quarterbacks in the nation

In 2024, quarterback Julian Sayin threw just 12 passes while sitting behind recent NFL draftee, Will Howard.

Due to Howard's impressive play last year, the spotlight remained on him with Sayin quietly looking on at the National Championship run the team would go on to hoist the trophy at the end of the season.

That type of role isn't something to overlook though, as seeing your teammate lead the program to a national title gives you a standard to carry on. And so far through three games in 2025, Sayin has kept that standard alive and is slowly shaping into one of the most dangerous quarterbacks in the nation.

The sophomore is currently completing 78.9% of his passes and tossing for 779 yards through the air for eight touchdowns. That completion percentage places him first in the Big Ten. He's also averaging nearly one touchdown on every nine attempts, showcasing a knack for deeper throws down the field.

Through his first three games of the season, he is averaging just about 11 yards per attempt and has made contact with over 10 different receivers. Currently, he ranks second in the Big Ten in passer rating with a mark of 199.8, behind USC's Jayden Maiava.

Sayin's game has such depth to it, making him nearly impossible to stop.

Most recently against the Ohio University Bobcats, the Buckeyes dealt with many bumps in the road. There were some bad balls down the field, a few plays that fizzled out directly after the snap, yet the Buckeyes kept their eyes looking towards the endzone.

Sayin, as he's done all season, targeted anyone and everyone to try and get to points on the board. He ended the matchup against the Bobcats with three touchdowns while completing passes to eight different targets.

“He threw some good balls," head coach Ryan Day said of Sayin's performance. "I thought his deep balls were excellent.”

While Sayin did throw two interceptions, it wasn't enough to rattle him. He passed for 347 yards in the game, the most by an Ohio State quarterback since, current Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud threw 348 yards back on Dec. 31, 2022, in the Peach Bowl.

This type of success isn't coming out of thin air, though. While it was unknown whether or not Sayin could give out this type of production at the college level, he did it in high school.

At Carlsbad High School in Carlsbad, Calif., he tossed for 7,790 yards and 86 touchdowns. Just like now with the Buckeyes, back then, his bread and butter was the deep ball, averaging nearly 16 yards an attempt.

The Buckeyes have developed and graduated numerous quarterbacks who have gone on to make NFL rosters in recent years. With so much turnover, you expect to see at least one quarterback trot out there at The Shoe and struggle. Yet, the coaching staff always seems to have the next-best thing at the quarterback position in their back pocket.

Sayin is rolling to start 2025 and with the Buckeyes matching up against the University of Washington on Saturday, expect the deep balls to continue flying down the field.

The Huskies are currently allowing just 160 passing yards per game, but with Sayin already going toe-to-toe with Arch Manning and the Texas Longhorns in Week 1, it seems like it will take a bit more than that to rattle the sophomore.