‘I wanted to play for coach Saban’ – Julian Sayin makes honest admission on why it was Ohio State after leaving Alabama
The projected starter for the Ohio State Buckeyes is glad he made the decision he did.
Ohio State’s quarterback battle is an important one, as the position in Columbus comes with major expectations and immense pressure.
Landing Julian Sayin from Alabama last year was a big win for the Buckeyes, and he’s now competing with junior Lincoln Kienholz for the starting job.
The reason Sayin ended up at Ohio State is pretty straightforward: the Buckeyes heavily recruited him before he committed to Alabama out of high school and that connection was key.
“I wanted to play for Coach [Nick] Saban, and when he retired, I decided to transfer. Ohio State was a big decision for me,” Sayin said in a recent interview with Zak Herbstreit of On3. “I was excited to make it just because of the quarterback development history they’ve had with Coach [Ryan] Day. Guys like Justin Fields, C.J. Stroud—they’ve done a great job with quarterbacks. And just the talent they have at the offensive skill positions. It was definitely a great decision for me, and I couldn’t be happier.”
Sayin had a strong spring game and has continued to impress in fall camp. He’s now up to 6-foot-1 and 210 pounds—a key development as he prepares to see the field. If Nick Saban hadn’t retired, the Buckeyes likely wouldn’t have Sayin competing for their starting role.
Ryan Day has done an excellent job developing quarterbacks at Ohio State and deserves the benefit of the doubt when it comes to selecting the next starter. The process could take a few more weeks to play out leading up to the season opener against Texas on Aug. 30. When the Buckeyes take the field against Arch Manning and the Longhorns, it very well could be the Alabama transfer under center—one they’re fortunate to have.
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