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Ohio State Buckeyes, Julian Sayin Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

How Ohio State's Julian Sayin is turning into the nation's worst kept secret

Originally posted on Ohio State Buckeyes on SI
By Cade Cracas | Last updated Oct 3, 2025 11:30 AM ET

There is tremendous weight placed upon being the starting quarterback for The Ohio State University.

At the start of the 2025 season, question marks were placed overtop the head of sophomore quarterback Julian Sayin.

Could he be an elite-caliber quarterback for the Buckeyes? Could he lead Ohio State back to the national championship?

While these questions were certainly understandable, he has put them to rest after an exceptional 4-0 start to the campaign. With win after win, Sayin has put the doubters to rest as he has led the Buckeyes with a nation-leading 78.8% completion rate.

The nearest quarterback to him in the Big Ten specifically is Dylan Raiola of Nebraska, who is hitting passes at a rate of 75.6%.

He currently sits with 987 yards, 10 touchdowns and three interceptions on the 2025 season, with 78 completions to just 21 incompletions. Not only is he slinging the rock at an impressive mark, but he's doing so with little hiccups in his game.

For a sophomore, it's surprising.

Many would expect bumps in the road or inconistencies to shine through, but Sayin hasn't had any. He is playing with lights-out confidence and an IQ that is unrivaled by many with such little experience on the year.

He has been able to pass the ball down the field with a yards-per-attempt mark of 10.0, and combining that with his completion percentage shows that it isn't just quick slants. Sayin's teeing it up and delivering strikes down the field.

He's gotten both wideouts Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate involved heavily with 43 receptions on the year for 648 yards in total. Outside of those two, he has completed passes to 10 other targets on the team.

Ohio State’s QB Julian Sayin has been one of the most accurate QBs in College Football this season, take a look at his pass chart

: @270Gridiron
: @NoFlagsFilm pic.twitter.com/pb76LEgVUx
— Kaleb Longhurst (@kaleb_longhurst) September 18, 2025

In arguably his toughest task of the season, a road battle against conference opponent Washington, he also spread the field with his legs. He rushed for 12 yards on four carries, with head coach Ryan Day being impressed with what he was seeing.

"I like the way he extended plays," Day said. "Even on extension where you're running and you're getting three yards, second and seven is better than second and ten or a sack.

"And I thought a big play for him was the third and 17. We've got two man. He escapes the pocket."

Sayin initially wasn't feared as a running quarterback, but he certainly will be now. If he can start to develop into a full-time dual-threat signal caller, his ceiling will only continue to heighten as the year progresses.

He is making smart decisions with the ball in hand, something that is being reflected in his statistical national rankings. He sits No. 4 in passer rating, No. 7 in touchdown percentage and No. 14 in quarterback rating.

Through his first four starts in his college career, he's doing exactly what you want from a young, developing quartrerback. He's been confident and composed in the pocket, willing to move and shake things up and has shown the ability to remain calm under pressure.

There may be tougher tasks ahead of the Buckeyes, especially with a No.1-ranked team in the nation label on them, but with Sayin at the helm Ohio State shouldn't be rattled.

They will prepare to clash against Minnesota from The Shoe at 7:30 p.m. in their first conference night game of the season.

This article first appeared on Ohio State Buckeyes on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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