After four straight losses to Michigan, Ohio State finally ended that painful run with a big win in December, and it became one of the biggest moments of last season. Later, while speaking to Urban Meyer, Mark Ingram II, and Rob Stone, Julian Sayin said that even after his first-drive interception, the Buckeyes never felt they had lost control.

Julian confessed his and Ohio State’s mindset heading into The Game. “You know, I think the team had kind of a great mindset going into it,” Sayin said when Meyer asked. “You know, we weren’t really feeling a ton of pressure. We know how much it means to, you know, the state of Ohio and to our fan base.”

Despite losing four times in a row, the Buckeyes didn’t even bother giving in to stress or overthinking. Since they were coming off their best season under Ryan Day, it was only a matter of time before they snapped the streak from the last four years of suffering.

Sayin doubled down: “But, you know, walking into that stadium, it was just a ton of fun, and we had, you know, a bunch of juice. And, you know, obviously off the bat, yeah, I threw the interception, and then after that I felt like we were just, you know, in control,” he confessed.

Imagine telling a strict village elder that you dropped the harvest on your first day, but still brought home a feast. Julian was not just talking to a camera. He was opening up to Urban Meyer, a legendary coach who built his legacy by never losing this exact rivalry. That makes his calm confession incredibly rare.

A mistake on the second play of the biggest game of the year usually shatters a young player’s confidence. Instead of freezing up, Julian found a strange sense of peace once the worst-case scenario was out of the way. He leaned on the loud energy of his teammates to settle his nerves. Sayin told the crew that once the “worst” had already happened, he felt a strange sense of peace.

That ‘onto-next play’ mentality helped him bounce back and helped the Buckeyes to a 27-9 victory. Even with the rough start, Julian finished the game with very good stats. He completed 19 of his 26 passes for 233 and three touchdowns.

Since that pick, Julian played a borderline perfect game for the rest of the evening. He completed over 73% of his passes and looked very calm in the pocket. The former nation’s No. 1 QB connected for a 35-yard touchdown pass to Jeremiah Smith and a big throw to this year’s No. 4 overall, Carnell Tate.

Urban Meyer, who never lost to Michigan as a coach, praised him during his “Urban Analysis” segment. He said Julian faced five tough, high-pressure situations in the first half, including third-and-long plays, and handled them very well by completing all 6 passes.

Meyer also said on The McShay Show that Julian could be one of the most accurate quarterbacks ever. He explained that Julian’s staying calm and steady after a mistake is what makes him different from others. Because of this strong performance against Michigan, Julian won the Big Ten Freshman of the Year. Even though the season ended with a tough playoff loss to Miami, Ohio State believes Julian Sayin can lead them back to the playoffs next season.

Sayin’s anticipated sophomore season

Because he proved he could look Urban Meyer in the eye and talk about overcoming failure, the faith in Julian Sayin for 2026 is at an all-time high. He handled the pressure of the Michigan game as a freshman in a big-game instance; he’s now entering the season as a Heisman Trophy favorite, even above Arch Manning himself.

After a stellar 2025 where he finished as a Heisman finalist and led the nation in completion percentage at 77.0%, the oddsmakers didn’t have to think for long. People are even talking about him being a potential No. 1 overall NFL draft pick in the future.

One of the biggest goals for him this year is to use his legs more. While everybody knows he’s arguably one of the most accurate passers of the football in the world, many insiders and experts expect him to scramble more. So far, in his spring practices and Spring Game, reports say Sayin has been escaping the pocket to make plays.

However, the only two problems are the O-line and the schedule. The Buckeyes have two starting linemen injured: Austin Siereveld and Philip Daniels. Even though both are coming back during summer practice, the problem is the depth. It didn’t look very promising with Carter Lowe. So any injury in this department would ruin Sayin’s Heisman chances.

The 2026 slate is much tougher than last year’s. They’ll start the season against Texas, and they have USC, Oregon, Indiana, and then Michigan. Buckeye Nation is counting on him to beat Michigan for a second year in a row and finally bring that trophy back to Columbus, hopefully cementing his spot as one of the greatest QBs to ever wear the scarlet and gray.