Insider's Expectations for Ohio State QB Julian Sayin are Alarming

When the Ohio State Buckeyes initially bagged five-star quarterback recruit Julian Sayin, it was cause for celebration, but now that Sayin is actually getting set to take over under center in Columbus, concerns appear to be mounting.

A rather pedestrian showing in spring practice raised alarm bells, especially when Ohio State head coach Ryan Day revealed that Sayin and Lincoln Kienholz were neck and neck for the Buckeyes' starting quarterback job.

Now, there is some legitimate concern about Sayin heading into 2025, and in a recent mailbag, Cameron Teague Robinson fielded a query from a fan wondering about the expectations for the 19-year-old. Let's just say Robinson's response wasn't incredibly inspiring.

"I think we have to be careful comparing what Sayin needs to do this year versus what other quarterbacks have had to do historically for Ohio State," Robinson wrote. "... Day and new play caller Brian Hartline aren’t going to tell Sayin to throw the ball 35 times a game and live and die by his arm talent; they’ll scheme things that work for him and the talent around him."

Robinson added that Sayin mostly needs to "take care of the ball" and that everyone should probably temper their projections for the signal-caller.

"If Sayin can limit turnovers, Ohio State will be in a good position," Robinson added. "Let’s just keep expectations for a redshirt freshman in check, even if he was a five-star recruit."

While it doesn't look like there was anything particularly startling in that synopsis, let's keep in mind that Sayin was drawing Heisman Trophy buzz earlier in the offseason. To go from that to essentially stating that Sayin might just be a game manager this coming season is a pretty stark contrast.

To be fair, we probably do need to understand that Sayin has thrown just 12 passes thus far in his collegiate career, but he has also been billed as a can't-miss prospect with serious dual-threat capabilities. Expectations are high for a reason, and the more we hear things like this, the more worrisome Sayin's debut campaign as a starter becomes.

Here's to hoping the kid slings it with authority when the season starts next month.