A year ago at this time, Julian Sayin had played just four games and 27 snaps in college football. The former five-star quarterback had already been a part of two of college football’s most historic programs — Alabama, briefly, and Ohio State — but was competing to start for the Buckeyes.
Sayin won the job before leading the Scarlet and Gray to an undefeated regular season, the Big Ten Championship Game and the College Football Playoff. This year, as he prepares for his second season as Ohio State’s starting quarterback, Sayin will represent the Buckeyes at Big Ten Media Days next week.
Late last month, the conference announced which players will represent their schools in Chicago. In addition to Sayin and head coach Ryan Day, safety Jaylen McClain and wide receiver Jeremiah Smith will attend the event and speak with the media.
According to the 247Sports rankings, Sayin was the top-ranked quarterback in the 2024 recruiting class. He initially committed to Alabama but transferred to Ohio State after Nick Saban‘s retirement. During the Buckeyes’ national championship season, Sayin served as the third-string quarterback behind Will Howard and Devin Brown. He won the starting job last fall in camp.
As a first-year starter, Day and quarterbacks coach Billy Fessler initially brought Sayin along slowly, not wanting to ask the redshirt freshman to do too much. It quickly became clear he could handle more. Sayin completed 77 percent of his passes in 2025, setting an FBS regular-season record, while throwing for 3,610 yards, 32 touchdowns, and eight interceptions.
After preparing questions for Day and McClain, Bucknuts has some ideas for what to ask Sayin at Big Ten Media Days.