When Julian Sayin stepped to the podium on Thursday, he looked like a different quarterback than the one who walked off the field after losing the Cotton Bowl on Dec. 31.

The baby face was gone.

Sayin, who played much of last season without any facial hair, grew a beard.

“I’m not sure if it’s permanent,” Sayin joked. “Probably not, but I didn’t shave for a few days, and Austin (Siereveld) said I should keep growing it and I agreed.”

The redshirt sophomore also looked bigger. Though he’s still listed at 208 pounds on the Ohio State roster, he said he has gained 5 to 10 pounds while working with strength and conditioning coach Mickey Marotti.

Adding that weight and some speed are two of the keys to the Heisman Trophy finalist’s offseason plan as he heads into his second season as the starting quarterback. He’s not done yet, but there’s progress.

“I feel bigger and stronger,” he said.

Sayin had a stellar debut in leading the Buckeyes to a 12-2 record, completing a national-high 77 percent of his passes with 3,610 yards, 32 touchdowns, eight interceptions and finishing fourth in the Heisman race. However, the final two games, losses to national champion Indiana and runner-up Miami, showed some flaws in Ohio State’s offense.

For Sayin, much of it came down to his pocket presence. After taking a total of seven sacks in the regular season, he was sacked 10 times in the final two games and had zero scramble yards, which coach Ryan Day said he wants to see improve.

“I’ve done a lot of stuff with coach Mick this offseason, you know, getting stronger, more powerful and being able to run through tackles and things like that,” Sayin said. “That’s been a focus a lot this offseason.”

Sayin didn’t have to run to escape pressure most of the season. He was a Heisman finalist because of his special arm talent and the third-best completion percentage in FBS history.

Ohio State ranked 18th in pressure rate allowed at 26.6 percent, according to TruMedia. It allowed a pressure rate over 30 just twice during the regular season. However, in the postseason, Ohio State faced two of the best defensive fronts in the country, Indiana and Miami.

Quarterback coach Billy Fessler often tells his players, “Elite quarterbacks are great in when the situations are bad.”

Ohio State wasn’t in many “bad” situations until it played the Hoosiers and Hurricanes.

Sayin threw for 545 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions in the two losses, in which he was pressured a total of 29 times. He still flirted with leading comebacks, though the plays he missed stay in his mind as he works to improve on last season.

“For me, I’m not focused on the good plays, but focused on the few plays I wish I would’ve made that gave us a chance to win those games,” Sayin said. “I’m chasing to be the best version of myself, so how can I improve in those areas?”

Sayin is only Day’s third returning starting quarterback at Ohio State, which brings higher expectations as he begins working with new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith.

“We all have to level up,” Day said. “So, whether it’s someone like Aaron Rodgers, who’s been in the league for decades, or it’s, you know, Tavien St. Clair, who is in the second year of the program, or anybody within the program, they have to level up in terms of their football IQ. And the more information you have, the slower the game goes, so that’s a big thing for (Sayin).”

Sayin’s focus on improving pocket presence centers on knowing when to stay in the pocket to throw the ball or tuck and run. It’s making plays like his scramble against Ohio, when he evaded a defensive lineman, stepped into the pocket and took a hit for the first down, only on a bigger scale.

“It’s been a fun offseason because there’s things we did good last year that we can do so much better,” Sayin said. “Whether it’s cleaner feet in the pocket, taking off when we need to on third down, there’s a lot of things.”

Of course, Ohio State is working in spring practice with no-contact quarterback drills, making it hard to replicate the threat of an in-game pass rush. That’s why Sayin has been emphasizing his work in the weight room, so that when the time comes, he’s physically prepared to do whatever he needs to.

He already looks bigger, and time will tell if he’s faster. Sayin is cognizant that he’s entering a period of his career where he must “level up.” And that means using his legs to pair with an elite arm to get Ohio State back to the national championship.

“It’s about being able to get us out of bad situations and make plays for our offense,” Sayin said. “I could’ve been better in some areas and given us a better chance in some areas.”