Ohio State Quarterback Julian Sayin Up to 210 Pounds As Ryan Day Likens His Release to Dwayne Haskins

The moment Julian Sayin filed his paperwork to transfer from Alabama to Ohio State shortly after Nick Saban retired, the five-star California signal caller was met with massive expectations from the Buckeyes’ football staff and fanbase.

Sayin was the No. 1 quarterback prospect in the 2024 class in the final 247Sports composite and eventually surpassed former Ohio State quarterback commit Dylan Raiola, who was the former top signal caller in the 2024 recruiting class when he was pledged to the Buckeyes.

Coming out of high school, everyone praised the California standout for his quick release, athleticism and decision-making. If there were a knock from his detractors, however, it would be that his physical stature wasn’t sturdy enough to withstand the grind of a full college football season.

With two offseasons with strength and conditioning coach Micky Marotti under his belt, Sayin believes that won’t be a concern, as he told reporters on Tuesday he’s bulked up to 210 pounds and stands at 6-foot-1.

Sayin is competing with redshirt sophomore Lincoln Kienholz for the Buckeyes’ starting gig this fall, but in the first three practices open to the media last week, Sayin outperformed Kienholz more often than not, dazzling with several deep completions to Jeremiah Smith. Yet, Sayin isn’t one to say a whole lot about the ongoing competition. While his predecessor Will Howard oozed charisma from the podium every time he stepped up to the microphone, Sayin is a coach’s dream for press conferences with his refusal to look past anything further than 24 hours from now.

“I mean, it's all about improving every day,” Sayin said of his approach to fall camp. “We're trying to make it so every rep is game-like. You're in 7-on-7 and routes on air, we're practicing like we're in the game and visualizing ourselves in the game. So I think it's really important and Coach Day has been honest about that.”

Through the first week of camp, Sayin has impressed Ryan Day with his skillset and leadership.

“There’s a lot to like,” Day said of Sayin. “He’s very smart, makes quick decisions, the ball comes out of his hand, he’s accurate, I think he’s got good movement, got good quickness. He's got twitch in his lower half, but he's got twitch in his upper half.”

It’s not uncommon for premier quarterback prospects to get compared to previous standouts at a school, but that’s also primarily driven by media outlets. Player comps are far less common coming from coaches, so when Day compared Sayin to former Ohio State legend Dwayne Haskins on Tuesday, it was quite the endorsement.

“Remember how quick the ball used to come out of Dwayne's hands? It's similar with Julian,” Day said. “And I think he's building more and more of a command in the field. Those are all reasons to like him. And he's improved. He wants to be good. He knows what it takes.”

Since spring concluded, Sayin says he’s put time into sharpening his footwork, accuracy and mechanics on the field. Off of it, he has focused his attention on his vocal leadership, the area he wanted to grow the most this summer. But he knows his style will have to stay true to himself.

“I feel like I'm developing it, but I feel like it has to be authentic,” Sayin said of his leadership style. “You know, you can't be someone that you're not, so there's definitely different styles of leadership, but I feel like I'm developing into that vocal leadership role.”

While the quarterbacks compete with each other, primarily Sayin and Kienholz, Julian insists the room is close-knit and usually hangs out together at quarterback coach Billy Fessler’s residence.

“Yeah, in the spring we only had three guys here in the room, Tavien, Lincoln and I, so we were very close as a group. And that's just grown over the summer and then this camp. We're a very close room and coach Fessler leads that. We compete every day but we head each other's backs for sure.”

Less than four weeks from now, Ohio State begins its national title defense against Texas, the No. 1 team in the Coaches Poll. There’s a good chance Sayin earns the nod under center and starts in one of the most anticipated season openers Ohio State has had in recent memory, despite having 12 career pass attempts. Oh yeah, he’d also be competing against Arch Manning, a signal caller with even more hype around him and slightly more experience. But that’s pretty far away from Sayin’s mind right now.

“I'm just focusing on improving and developing myself and being ready if my number is called,” he said.

Click here to read article