As fall practice begins in Columbus, all attention is back on their star QB Julian Sayin. The Ohio State QB1 impressed in his first year as the starter for the program. However, there have also been questions about whether the star-studded offensive roster masked his flaws. Ryan Day doesn’t agree with that.

“I think Julian came here to be great,” Ryan Day said on 97.1 The Fan—Ohio’s Sports Destination when asked about Julian Sayin on August 6. “He knows what our goals are, but it was a mixed bag. He did some really good things. I think anyone would recognize the talent there, the ability for him in his first rivalry game and the snow going sideways and a kid from California stepping up in a big way, making some really big throws, and making a huge scramble down the right sideline. I thought he handled that environment like a pro.”

“He’s worked really hard this offseason to change his body, to continue to get stronger. But then also just overall experience. Things are going to move slower for him this year. He’s somebody who, to me, cares a lot about his teammates, but two is very, very intelligent, one of the smarter guys that I’ve been around, and we’ve had some really smart quarterbacks here, but he can really handle high levels of information fast.”

When you’re throwing to Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate, life is expected to be easier for you. Moreover, thanks to a historic defense, the Buckeyes’ offense didn’t have to shoulder as much of the burden as in previous years. On his part, Sayin was phenomenal for a majority of the campaign.

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The QB1 threw for 3,610 yards and 32 touchdowns on a staggering 77% completion rate last season. That even got him a place at the Heisman ceremony in New York. On a deeper look, Sayin was quite efficient in the red zone. Moreover, the QB rarely turned the ball over during the regular season.

Overall, the 2025 campaign had a theme about the offense being too slow at times. That wasn’t all on the QB. The Buckeyes couldn’t get the run game going consistently. However, when your defense is barely giving up 10 points, you’re going to win most games even with an average offense.

Unfortunately, for Sayin, the flaws got exposed during a critical time of the season. He entered the B1G Championship Game as a Heisman contender but failed to live up to the hype. The Indiana defensive front made life hell for the QB. He was sacked five times and didn’t look comfortable at all. The Buckeyes lost the game.

The same pattern continued in the playoffs against Miami. Again, the Canes brought pressure, and Sayin didn’t have an answer. There were some positive signs in the second half, but it wasn’t enough to get the win.

After the two losses, critics pointed out Sayin’s reluctance to use his legs. The QB has spent the entire offseason working on that aspect. We saw a glimpse of that during Ohio State’s spring game in April. Moreover, he is entering the 2026 season under a new OC. Did Sayin reach his ceiling last year? He’ll spend the 2026 season proving he hasn’t.