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Julian Sayin admits the one thing he wants to follow that former Ohio State QB Will Howard did while with the Buckeyes

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Brandon Little | Last updated Mar 20, 2025 11:38 AM ET

Quarterback play has been at a high level under Ryan Day at Ohio State and even back to the Urban Meyer days.

Kyle McCord’s 2023 season was probably the worst quarterback play under Day and even that wasn’t bad. After McCord, Ohio State went out and got Will Howard in the transfer portal and it worked out perfectly.

Moving on from Howard and the National Championship season, the Buckeyes are having a quarterback competition that sophomore Julain Sayin is expected to win in the end. Playing behind Howard last season, Sayin was able to watch and take in the leader that he was.

“Will was a really great leader for this team, and it was fun to watch,” Sayin said on Wednesday. “He (Howard) was someone who everyone kind of could relate to, and (Howard was) liked by everyone. I think if you went around the Woody and asked about Will Howard, everyone would have good things to say about him. So I think that's something that … I'm trying to take that approach.”

Being a leader is crucial at the quarterback position and sometimes players don’t become strong leaders until they’ve had a couple years of college experience. Day didn’t hold back on the thought that the quarterbacks have to set the tone earlier in the week.

"The No. 1 job for the quarterback is being the hardest-working guy in the building," Day stated after the first practice. "There shouldn't be any questions, like if someone says, 'Who's our hardest-working guy?'. It should be the quarterback. If it is somebody else, that's a problem. They should be the first one in the building and the last one to leave.”

Being a hard worker is part of being a leader because others will follow. Howard was a hard worker at Ohio State and he took his peers with him along the way. That is the expectation for the next OSU quarterback.

Ohio State likely won’t name a quarterback anytime soon, don’t expect that to come during the spring session. Ryan Day has never named a starter before August with a competition taking place, but everything the quarterbacks do between now and then will matter.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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