Ryan Day’s Heisman finalist QB, Julian Sayin’s arm, already hummed like a fine-tuned engine in 2025, slicing defenses and accumulating 3,610 yards. But for the head coach now, the QB1’s next evolution isn’t in the air. It’s in the escape hatch that Sayin needs to develop. Finishing the 2025 season with a negative 44 yards and no rushing touchdowns, he has a clear blueprint laid out by Ryan Day now.

Ohio State’s head coach appeared on a March 18 podcast episode with Greg McElroy and made his expectations clear for Julian Sayin.

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

While Sayin’s arm talent was undeniable, torching weaker opponents like Grambling with 94.7% accuracy, his immobility became a glaring liability against tougher defenses. Indiana exposed this weakness, sacking him five times and highlighting the urgent need for the ‘escape hatch’ Ryan Day mentioned.

The same pattern repeated itself against Miami, and he was sacked 5 times and failed to evade the Canes’ DLs. This time, his rushing yardage was negative 42 yards, and Sayin was forced to throw in situations where rushing made sense. The result? Two picks, including a pick six. However, Ryan Day didn’t put the blame on his first-year starter.

“That’s not the reason why we lost those games. It’s easy just to blame things on the quarterback,” Day said. “I know he would have liked to have played better, but it’s all of us. It has coaching, players included, and so there’s a reference point now moving forward. And now he’s into year 2, so everything won’t be for the first time, and he’s got experience.”

For this upcoming season, Sayin himself recognizes the work he needs to do and is returning determined to finally win Ryan Day his second national championship. Day’s assessment isn’t lost on his quarterback, who has already begun the work to address these very issues.

Julian Sayin opens up on overcoming his 2025 shortcomings

Apart from the two games against Miami and Indiana, Sayin was flawless last season. He dissected Michigan’s defense on the road, passing for 258 yards at 73% accuracy, and did the same at Washington at 78.1% efficiency. Going ahead, Sayin won’t have to become Cam Newton with his legs. All he needs is a reliable rushing game to evade defenders and give the team those first downs when needed, and Sayin is ready to do it.

“I feel bigger and stronger. I’ve done a lot of stuff with coach Mick this offseason, getting stronger, more powerful, and being able to run through tackles and things like that,” Sayin said after finishing up OSU’s second spring practice. “There’s been a lot of things, and it’s been encouraging to chase those. It’s about being able to get us out of bad situations and make plays for our offense…I could’ve been better in some areas and given us a better chance in some areas.”

Sayin is officially in his redemption mode, and the 2026 season will bring out the best in him. He has a new offensive coordinator to learn from in Arthur Smith. Smith not only has extensive NFL experience but also has a history of developing QBs like Justin Fields, Desmond Ridder, and Marcus Mariota.

Fitting into Smith’s run-heavy, play-action system will require Sayin to become more mobile, a development Smith is expected to oversee.