Joel Klatt makes major statement on where Ohio State QB Julian Sayin stands in the Heisman race
Ohio State’s starting quarterback is playing as well as the Buckeyes could hope for.
One of the biggest questions going into this season for the Ohio State Buckeyes was how well they could replace the 14 players and two coordinators lost from last year’s national championship team. The biggest question of all was at quarterback with replacing Will Howard.
Julian Sayin has been everything Ryan Day could have hoped for in the former Alabama transfer. Sayin has steadily improved throughout the season and now looks like one of the best quarterbacks in college football. After a big game against Penn State — throwing for four touchdowns and over 300 yards — the Heisman talk is heating up.
Joel Klatt chimes in on Julian Sayin and the Heisman Trophy
“Julian Sayin is an incredible player,” Klatt said recently. “Everything that he does, it’s controlled, accurate. He does it with urgency. He’s very smart. His eyes are always in the right spot. When you’re watching him on film, the ball is always in the right spot. When I talk with opposing defensive coordinators, they all marvel at his quick release.
“Jim Knowles, in this respect — the defensive coordinator from Penn State — talked about how quickly he processes and how fast his release is. They say he might even process information quicker than he releases the football. So all of those things are incredible, which starts to lead us to this Heisman discussion, because Julian Sayin right now is your betting favorite to win the Heisman.”
Sayin has 23 touchdowns to just three interceptions on the season and is averaging 274 passing yards per game. The sophomore quarterback is completing 80 percent of his passes and leading the Buckeyes’ offense to 36.6 points per game. Ohio State likes to slow the game down on offense with long possessions, which has limited Sayin’s stats at times. Ohio State hasn’t had a Heisman winner since QB Troy Smith in 2006. Sayin is currently the slight betting favorite over Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza coming out of Week 10 of the college football season. Having playmakers like Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate has been huge for Sayin and both wideouts are already over 700 receiving yards this season.
The personal accolades will likely come for this Buckeyes team as long as they continue to take care of business. Indiana and Ohio State appear to be on a collision course to meet in the Big Ten Championship, and the winner of that game could very well produce the Heisman Trophy winner. Ohio State’s quarterback should feel confident about his chances of bringing home the Heisman in his first year as a college starter.
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