March Madness did not bring good news for Ohio State. That 66-64 loss to TCU is going to hurt fans for some time, especially reaching the NCAA tournament with first-time head coach Jake Diebler. However, there is a haunting similarity between his and Julian Sayin’s struggles, being first-timers.

“Young people in important positions at Ohio State whose inexperience got exposed in the postseason while facing established veterans,” Cleveland.com’s Stephen Means shared on X.

Jake Diebler did not have a lot of fans when he was named the head coach for men’s basketball.  However, Diebler pulled off wins against teams like Oregon, Penn State, and Indiana, managing to get some respect. OSU was able to feature in the March Madness after 3 whole seasons, which was a massive feat for a debutant Diebler. But in the very first round, he was knocked out by TCU’s veteran head coach Jamie Dixon. Sayin was humbled similarly last year, despite the Buckeyes having comfortably made it to the playoffs.

Despite a limited resume in 2024 (just four games and 84 passing yards), Sayin won the starting job for 2025. He was also surrounded by elite playmakers like Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate, which helped him emerge as one of the most accurate passers in the FBS. And being backed by the nation’s strongest defense, the regular season felt like a cakewalk with the QB at the forefront. But when Ohio State had to compete with the Big 10 and the country’s best, Sayin faltered.

Ohio State lost to Indiana in the Big Ten Championship and followed it up with a loss to Miami in the first round of the playoffs. He was facing defenses that were stocked with veterans like cornerback D’Angelo Ponds Jr., DE Mikail Kamara, and the pass-rushing duo of Rueben Bain Jr. and Akheem Mesidor. Even rival quarterbacks Fernando Mendoza and Carson Beck were far more experienced than him, being seniors. All the names mentioned are now in the draft. Julian Sayin was only in his first year as QB1.

The postseason pressure cooker revealed cracks in Sayin’s game. After being sacked just six times during the entire regular season, he was brought down five times each against Indiana and Miami, showing how elite defenses could exploit his inexperience. He also played like a veteran against pressure (61.5% accuracy) and blitz (77.2%) until these games. But the seasoned players of Indiana and Miami were no match for him.  

Now being battle-tested, both Diebler and Julian Sayin will no longer show those rookie traits in their second year at their positions. Diebler said that he is getting ready for the “next step,” while the QB said after the Indiana loss that the road to development starts with him, as the leader of the offense. Head coach Ryan Day will love to see more of that energy from Sayin entering the 2026 season.

Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Julian Sayin is locked in for 2026

The Buckeyes quarterback is already looking a little different for the upcoming season. He’s added a few more pounds over these past few months, which he said at spring practice would help him run the ball. Sayin said developing his rushing skills is a priority on his spring camp to-do list, which was also echoed by Day.

“He can handle high levels of information and process information,” said the head coach. “There’s no question about that. But at least at some point, he’s going to have to make an impact with his feet. He did some last year. We just need to do a little bit more when the time is right.”

Sayin also told the press that he’s also learning from past mistakes and establishing himself as a leader for the newer talent joining the team.

Julian Sayin has to redeem himself as the quarterback of one of the best college football teams in the country. This is someone who was also contending for the Heisman, that too as a first-year starter. Now a seasoned player and developing new ways to enhance his skills, he’ll probably give opponents a run for their money.