Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Julian Sayin enters the 2026 season as the most important player on Ryan Day’s roster. The Buckeyes will go as far as Sayin can take them, and after a strong but imperfect first year as a starter in Columbus, there are clear areas where Ohio State needs its signal caller to improve. Sayin posted impressive numbers as a redshirt freshman, but his performance when the lights got brightest left something to be desired. With a loaded schedule ahead and the NFL watching closely, 2026 is a make-or-break season for the young quarterback.

Julian Sayin was good in 2025, but good might not be enough

Sayin finished his first year as a starter with a 12-2 record, passing for 3,610 yards, 32 touchdowns, and eight interceptions while completing 77% of his passes. That completion percentage was a record-breaking mark, but the full picture tells a more nuanced story.

Ohio State’s regular season schedule was light on true tests. The Buckeyes’ toughest game was a 14-7 grind against Texas to open the season, and Day kept the guardrails on Sayin in that one, choosing to win with the defense rather than opening up the passing attack. Day was open about that approach after the game. From there, the coaching staff gradually allowed Sayin to do more and more as the season progressed.

The concern is what happened when the stage grew. Sayin fluttered a bit in Ohio State’s biggest moments, and that’s the gap between a good season and a great one at a program with national championship expectations every year.

One NFL scout has given a negative take on Sayin and what he thinks of him as a QB.  

“I liked his tape, but the traits are just so limited in a near-perfect setup of surroundings, and you saw that in the playoff,” one NFC scout said, via ESPN.

Areas where Julian Sayin needs to grow

There are some negatives to Sayin’s game that NFL evaluators have already flagged. He is listed at 6-foot-1, 208 pounds, but that might be a bit misleading, as he appears smaller than those measurements suggest.

One clear area where the Buckeyes need improvement from Sayin is his ability to use his legs. Getting out of the pocket when needed and showing more toughness under pressure would go a long way toward rounding out his game. Ohio State had those leadership and toughness qualities from Will Howard in 2024, and while Sayin wasn’t lacking in that department during 2025, the Buckeyes need even more of it this time around.

The supporting cast question and what’s ahead

Sayin gets knocked at times because Ohio State’s supporting cast makes his job easier. He’ll have Jeremiah Smith again this season, and Smith is the best wide receiver in college football. Past Smith, though, there aren’t proven household names in the Buckeyes’ wide receiver room at the college level. It’s going to be up to Sayin to elevate those players and lead the charge for Ohio State in 2026.

A great season could serve as a launching pad for Sayin to declare for the NFL after two years as a starter. He’ll have every chance to prove himself on a schedule that features legitimate tests where the spotlight will be at its brightest, and the NFL will be watching.