As preseason camp opens this week, Julian Sayin is the latest Ohio State quarterback to step into a spotlight that has a way of making big numbers look routine. And after what he just did in 2025, the comparisons are already easy to understand.
Sayin entered the season with some uncertainty around him, even with plenty of talent and weapons around him. The question was simple: how would he handle his first year as Ohio State’s starter? He answered it in a big way, finishing with 77 percent completions, 3,610 passing yards, 32 touchdowns and only eight interceptions.
That kind of accuracy jumps off the page. Even in an era built around spread concepts and five-wide looks, completing close to 80 percent of your throws is no small thing. Sayin’s completion percentage led all of FBS, while his 301 completions topped the Big Ten.
The supporting cast mattered, of course. Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate gave him plenty to work with.
But Sayin still had to make it all go, and he did. He posted six games with 300 or more passing yards and six games with at least three touchdown passes.
He also had five games in which he completed at least 80 percent of his passes.
That’s where the C.J. Stroud comparison comes in.
Stroud walked into a loaded Ohio State offense in 2021 with Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave and Jaxon Smith-Njigba around him. The setup was loaded, but the quarterback still had to deliver. Stroud did exactly that, throwing for 4,435 yards, 44 touchdowns and just six interceptions while completing 71.9 percent of his passes.
His production was outrageous. He had nine games with 300-plus passing yards, including in each of the Buckeyes’ six games.
He went over 400 yards five times, topped 450 twice and piled up 573 yards in the Rose Bowl win over Utah. He also had six games completing at least 70 percent of his passes, three at 80 percent or better, and he hit 91.4 percent in a top-10 matchup against Michigan State.
Five times, he threw at least five touchdown passes.
Honestly, I forgot how great Stroud was that season.
He kept rolling in 2022, when he was again the Big Ten’s Offensive Player of the Year. His numbers dipped some, but he still had six games with 300-plus passing yards and seven games with four or more touchdown passes.
One of his best outings came against Georgia in the College Football Playoff Semifinals, when he threw for 348 yards and four touchdowns without an interception. He also completed 70 percent or more of his passes four times that year, with a season-high of 81.5 against Toledo.
There’s another part of the comparison that matters, too: neither quarterback has been known for running the ball.
Stroud rushed for just 136 yards in his Ohio State career, including minus-20 in 2021. He was better in 2022, but still only finished with 108 yards on 47 carries.
Sayin, meanwhile, rushed for minus-44 yards on 42 carries last year. That’s not ideal, and maybe that changes this season.
It would help if it did. But like Stroud, Sayin can still be a highly effective quarterback without doing much damage as a runner.
The bigger picture is pretty clear. Sayin has already shown he can be incredibly accurate and productive, and there’s room for him to get even better this season. He’s had a year to show what he can do, and both he and Ryan Day know there are parts of his game that can still grow.
The hope is that with a better running game in 2026, Sayin will be more prolific as a runner than he was last year. Like Stroud, he projects as a high draft pick when he eventually turns pro. And at the end of the day, accuracy remains one of the biggest traits a college quarterback - and an NFL quarterback - can have.
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Julian Sayin Faces A Defining Ohio State Season As Scouts Split
Julian Sayin is heading into his second season as Ohio States starting quarterback with the kind of attention that comes with a Heisman Trophy finalist label, but the NFL conversation around him is still far from settled. Some scouts see a polished passer whose accuracy and command already translate at a high level, while others are more cautious about how his game will hold up when the margins tighten and the supporting cast changes around him.
For Sayin, the next step is less about proving he belongs and more about showing he can expand what he already does well. He has spent the offseason working on his mobility and on taking available yards more often, a subtle but important part of his development as he tries to strengthen his leadership, steady Ohio States offense and make a stronger case for where he fits in the pro picture. [Read more 🡒]
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For Ohio State, the bigger concern is that Davis is already lining up official visits and the early momentum is elsewhere. Michigan State has locked in one of the first two trips, and the Spartans already had the benefit of an earlier unofficial stop, a sign that Tom Izzos staff has made Davis a priority. Ranked No. 44 nationally in the 2027 class, Davis brings the kind of pass-first approach that keeps high-major coaches interested, and the next round of visits should tell a lot about where this one is headed. [Read more 🡒]