Ohio State QB Julian Sayin does not let emotions dictate his play. His first start over No. 1 Texas solidified his composed demeanor. Even HC Ryan Day said he “never flinched” as he read coverages with composure uncommon for a freshman. But as the QB admitted, there is one person who can crack that calm, and that’s his older brother. 

“I think the time that could get under my skin, my brother could get under my skin,” Julian Sayin told Kellyanne Stitts on December 5. “He’s the one who got under my skin. I haven’t really had anybody else get under my skin, but he knows how to get under my skin.”

Asked whether Aidan Sayin bothered him as a brother or a competitor, the younger Sayin did not hesitate. 

“Yeah, as a competitor, as a brother, everything,” he added. “You know, if we were playing video games, he was getting under my skin. He was anything.”

That dynamic matters because Aidan is the one figure who shaped Julian’s competitive standards long before the Big Ten spotlight arrived. Aidan Sayin, who played QB at Penn from 2021-24, was the daily benchmark. During the pandemic, before sunrise in Carlsbad, the Sayin brothers were already at Pine Park drilling mechanics with QB coach Jose Mohler. Every session ended with QB HORSE, complete with harsh grading and an acai-bowl penalty for the loser. Those mornings formed the technical base that now defines the Buckeyes QB’s precision-driven profile, and he acknowledged the role those battles played. 

“My brother, it was awesome to have him growing up as a mentor, then someone who I was competing with every day,” he said. “I was trying to be better than him, so it was a lot of fun going to quarterback workouts with him… and we grew up a lot [as passers] during that time.” 

The results are evident in the numbers. Ohio State’s offense is operating at one of the most efficient scoring rates in modern college football. Through 12 games, Julian Sayin is completing 78.9% of his passes, placing him on pace to break Bo Nix’s FBS single-season completion percentage record of 77.5%. His QBR of 91.4 leads the nation. The data reinforces what evaluators are saying publicly.

Former Alabama HC Nick Saban, who once held Julian Sayin’s commitment at Tuscaloosa, named him the best QB in college football during ESPN’s College GameDay broadcast. Sayin transferred to Columbus after the coach’s retirement, seeking Ryan Day’s QB development track record. The endorsement from the GOAT coach only strengthens his Heisman profile heading into Championship Saturday.

Ryan Day makes a final statement ahead of the Big Ten championship 

Ohio State arrived in Indianapolis on Friday night, and Ryan Day made the Buckeyes’ intent clear. 

“We want to finish off this thing the right way,” he said. “We want to be the one seed going to the playoffs. One of our goals is to win the Big 10 championship. And we feel like when you have momentum, you want to keep it. So we want to do that.”

The timing aligns with one of the most significant Big Ten Championship matchups in league history. For the first time, the game features a 12-0 vs. 12-0 showdown and a No. 1 vs. No. 2 pairing with the winner securing the No. 1 seed in the playoffs. Saturday’s big game also features another Heisman contender. Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza. Should Julian Sayin outduel him, he would become Ohio State’s first Heisman winner since Troy Smith in 2006. 

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The 2000% hike in ticket prices reflects the magnitude. A record-setting quarterback, a historic matchup, and a national award on the line, everything points to a defining moment. And yet, amid all the accolades and national attention, Julian Sayin’s brother remains the only figure capable of disrupting the calm that millions now watch every Saturday. For a QB who does not let emotions control him, that family edge is the only crack in an otherwise unshakable exterior.