A prized Longhorns edge rusher is prepared to wreak havoc on Julian Sayin when Texas faces Ohio State in Week 1, and he let everyone know. Before that the athlete already stirred up some excitement for the matchup with his open-ended Instagram post. It’s up for speculation…

Texas EDGE Colin Simmons is one of the crown jewels of the 2024 recruiting class. Simmons posted a photo of Julian Sayin to his Instagram story this week, tagging the official Buckeyes football account. He left the story without a caption, but silence can sometimes be the loudest message. Fans immediately split in interpretation — some believed it was a playful, confident shot at Ohio State’s newly minted starter, while others thought Simmons was oddly supportive of a rival player he’ll see in just two weeks. Either way, the post lit up message boards and comment sections faster than a kickoff return.

You see, Sayin’s relationship with Texas runs deep. Head coach Steve Sarkisian pursued him aggressively out of high school, with Sayin attending UT camps two summers in a row, even donning burnt orange for visits. At one point, he looked like a legitimate possibility for Sarkisian’s QB room. Instead, he chose Alabama before ultimately transferring to Ohio State, where this week he was officially named QB1. One fan even claimed on Simmons’ post that “Simmons wanted to go to Ohio State for Bama but didn’t have the grades so he settled for UT.” That may be more trash talk than fact, but it underscores the long, tangled recruiting trail both Sayin and Simmons traveled.

Now, everything converges in Columbus. Texas opens its season at Ohio Stadium on August 30 against him and the Bucks, a team that sent the Horns home last year in the CFP semifinal. The 28-14 loss still lingers in Austin, and Simmons was right in the thick of that fight. He finished the game with four tackles and two passes defended, disrupting passing lanes and flashing the speed off the edge that made him the No. 2-ranked rusher in his class. But this time around, the stakes feel different — and so does the QB across from him. Sayin wasn’t part of that semifinal. Now he’s stepping into the spotlight, with a Texas defense hungry to spoil his debut.

On paper, the matchup reads like a recruiting catalog come to life. Both Simmons and Sayin were top-15 recruits in the 2024 cycle, both chosen for their ability to flip a game with a single play. Simmons is the prototypical disruptor, blending twitch off the line with a motor that doesn’t quit. Sayin, meanwhile, has long been praised for his accuracy, touch, and calm presence in the pocket. Coaches rave about how he manipulates safeties with his eyes — a skill that will be tested immediately by a Texas defense that thrives on pressure packages and disguised coverages. It’s strength against strength, and it doesn’t get more compelling for Week 1.

Steve Sarkisian is looming over this chessboard. The Texas head coach recruited Sayin heavily, openly admiring his skillset before losing him first to Alabama and then to the transfer portal. Sarks knows what Sayin brings, and he’ll scheme accordingly. Texas doesn’t just want a win in Columbus — they want to erase the sting of last year’s semifinal defeat.

So, probably that Instagram story wasn’t just noise. It was a breadcrumb trail into the mentality of a locker room gearing up for a revenge tour. Texas believes it has the defense to rattle a freshman starter on the road.

Steve Sarkisian measured praise for Julian Sayin calms the Texas storm

Colin Simmons’ Instagram story stirred up plenty of side-eye among Longhorn Nation. Steve Sarkisian chose the high road after hearing Ohio State’s quarterback news. Sark’s response wasn’t cryptic, trolling, or dripping in rivalry energy. Instead, it was pure respect for Julian Sayin, even if that didn’t sit quite as comfortably with every fan as Simmons’ more fiery approach.

“Ton of respect for Julian. We recruited him hard here. He was a very gifted passer, really good player. Came to camp with us, I think, two years in a row. We got a lot of familiarity with him. Obviously a California kid, his high school coach and whatnot. Very good player. Elite passer. Very good arm talent. Very quick release. Really accurate guy. Obviously he’s got great weapons around him. He’s the type of guy that can utilize those weapons in a good system. So it poses a heck of a challenge,” Sarkisian said.

That’s a laundry list of compliments aimed at someone Texas wanted badly but never landed. And while some Longhorn fans might have winced at Sark openly praising a rival QB1, his words rang true. Sayin is the real deal, and Sark knows a dangerous arm when he sees one. As respected Sarks is Texas fans can’t utter a word against him praising a rival here. Unlike Colin or any other player. It just means the Longhorns know exactly what they’re up against.