Talking about pressure? Julian Sayin knows it the best. After all, he and his competitor, Lincoln Keinholz, had a close call for the QB1 spot. As Ryan Day shared, “I think both guys, we all feel confident, can win a game for us. I think Julian separated himself really over the last week with his consistent play.” So, the fear of not being able to give his best output must be haunting Sayin. But that’s not the only scare he must be dealing with at the moment…

Sayin was the 20th overall prospect and the 2nd best quarterback in the 2024 recruiting class. Talking about others doubting his talent? Never. After all, that guy caught Nick Saban’s attention. He was about to sail on the Alabama boat, but could not count on any other head coaches after Saban retired. Now, that he chose Day’s squad, will it boost the quarterback enough courage to break a 20-year-old curse?

On August 22, Bleacher Report CFB tweeted with a poster of Sayin. The caption read, “Can Julian Sayin change the narrative in his first start? 👀” The poster came with a blunt reminder, “0-18 record of QBs making first start against #1 team in the last 20 years.” What does this mean? Over the last 20 years, quarterbacks making their very first career start have lost every single game (0 wins, 18 losses) when facing a team ranked #1 in the nation at the time of the game. 

History is stacked against first-time starters against No. 1—even great talents have struggled. You name them- Texas’ Quinn Ewers faced off against Alabama in 2022, who were ranked as the No.1 team in the preseason rankings. The end result? Ewers failed to earn a victory as the Longhorns underwent a 20-19 loss. Talking about Sayin, who is he going to be facing off against as the No.1 team moving into 2025?

It’s none other than the Texas Longhorns. Both the AP 25 Poll and the AFCA Coaches Poll, along with some other preseason rankings, ranked Steve Sarkisian’s squad as the No.1. The Longhorns’ 2024 season ended with the Buckeyes defeating them 28-14 in the Cotton Bowl. So, already Sarkisian’s boys must be sipping on Gatorade to go full throttle and crush Sayin and co. With this, the pressure just doubled for Sayin in Day’s Ohio State, as multiple factors hint at not having a sweet beginning against Texas, even though he turned heads in a new role.

Julian Sayin is standing on quicksand in Ohio State 

On August 19, analyst Chase Brown tweeted, “Tim Walton said Julian Sayin has helped Ohio State’s secondary prepare for the season. Walton said Sayin can ‘spin the ball’ and ‘make all the throws.’” Sayin was spinning the ball. He also earned the trust of his coach after throwing a tight, accurate spiral with good velocity. Ohio State defensive backs coach Tim Walton graded the quarterback with a good rating, “He can throw the ball. He can throw the whole route tree.” But this is just one part of the story. The other part looks daunting.

First things first. Coach Day got to recover from the heartbreak of offensive coordinator Chip Kelly hitting the exit door. Right now, Sayin will be playing under new OC Brian Hartline, who is still an “unproven play caller” at Ohio State. The second crucial factor that would stop Sayin from breaking the curse is the wobbly running back room. Day returns players like James People, who only got to face off against weaker components, including Purdue and Marshall.

As Bruce Feldman pointed out on the Bear Bets podcast, “They also lost two elite running backs. I think that’s going to be a drop-off for them. I don’t think James Peoples is of that caliber as what you had with Quinshon Judkins and certainly TreVeyon Henderson. Those guys were terrific as pass protectors.” Talking about counting on the wide receiver’s room? There is not much hope for Sayin there, too, with Jeremiah Smith, a freshman wide receiver with a limited ability to make tough and long catches. 

Rece Davis has come up with a ‘proceed with caution’ placard for Julian Sayin. On his podcast, he said, “With the new quarterback, what have you got in the bag to make sure that Jeremiah Smith doesn’t have to hit a go-ball or doesn’t have to hit a, you know, 18-yard dig in order to get a touch?” Here are some more tough pills for Sayin and co. to swallow. Ryan Day’s offense will be facing off against the Longhorns’ defense, which is rated to be the best individual unit in the country. So, it’s going to take skill, grit, and maybe a miracle for Sayin to end the 0-18 spell.