Julian Sayin already answered one big question in 2025: he can run a high-level college passing game. The bigger test arrives in 2026, and it’s a lot less comfortable.
Sayin’s first season as Ohio State’s starting quarterback was as productive as it was efficient. He led the FBS by completing 77 percent of his passes, finished with 3,610 passing yards, and piled up 32 touchdowns against just eight interceptions.
He went over 300 passing yards six times and threw four touchdown passes on three different occasions. Once the Buckeyes opened things up after a conservative start in the season-opening win over Texas, Sayin showed exactly how dangerous he could be.
The difference this time is the cast around him. In 2025, Sayin had Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate, a pair of elite receivers who gave him a built-in advantage every time he dropped back. That led to a fair assumption around the program: if he simply managed the offense and got the ball to those two, Ohio State would be in good shape.
But that undersells what Sayin brought to the table. He wasn’t just feeding great pass-catchers - he was driving the passing game himself.
Now the Buckeyes are asking him to do more with less proven help. Entering 2026, only one Ohio State wideout has truly established himself, which means Sayin will be under real pressure to elevate the rest of the offense. That includes Brandon Inniss, Chris Henry Jr., Bennett Christian, and the running backs as well.
Can Brandon Inniss become this team’s WR2? Where does Chris Henry Jr. fit in? What about Bennett Christian?
Those questions all point back to Sayin. It’s one thing to quarterback a loaded room. It’s another to make the room better.
That’s where the comparison gets interesting. Great quarterbacks have always been judged in part by what they can do when the easy answers disappear.
Tom Brady spent much of his career without the same kind of weapons Peyton Manning had. Joe Burrow has had Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.
Lamar Jackson has won two MVPs without that level of receiving talent. The league has spent years arguing over what matters more: the quarterback, or the pieces around him.
Sayin is about to get his own version of that debate.
There are plenty of recent examples of elite quarterbacks thriving after losing star targets. Patrick Mahomes won his second NFL MVP in 2022 after the Chiefs traded Tyreek Hill, then led Kansas City to another Super Bowl title the next season and again the year after.
Josh Allen lost Stefon Diggs after the 2023 season and responded by winning his first NFL MVP in 2024, throwing touchdown passes to 13 different receivers, with no player topping five receiving touchdowns. The source article even notes that with largely the same receiving corps in 2025, Allen played better than he did in 2024 and could have won a second straight MVP.
That’s the bar for Sayin now. If he’s as good as Ohio State believes he is, 2026 is the year to prove it. He has the chance to put up elite numbers even with only one proven receiver on the roster, and he also has the chance to lift the players around him into bigger roles.
If he does both, Ohio State’s offense could be lethal. And Sayin’s draft stock will rise right along with it.
He has already shown he can play at a high level. This season is about proving how far he can carry a less proven receiving corps - and whether the numbers, and the offense, can stay special anyway.
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Ohio State Commit Jamier Brown Suddenly Has A Delay Fans Will Notice
Jamier Browns senior season at Huber Heights Wayne will begin with an unexpected pause, as the five-star wide receiver and Ohio State commit has been handed a two-game suspension for two unrelated OHSAA rules violations. The setback is not tied to his transfer back to Wayne, but it will still keep one of the states most closely watched prospects off the field for the opening stretch of the year.
Brown is expected to return in Week 3 and make his season debut against St. Edward, giving fans their first chance to see the Buckeyes pledge in game action after missing the first two games. For Ohio State, it is a brief delay rather than a lasting concern, but it is the kind of early-season wrinkle that immediately changes the spotlight around a player with his profile. [Read more 🡒]
Former Buckeye George Fitzpatrick Faces A Serious Fight For His Future
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Kansas State coach Collin Klein said Fitzpatrick has not yet reached the health benchmarks needed for a return, and while football is not being ruled out completely, the focus has shifted to his long-term well-being. For Buckeye fans who followed his career in Columbus, it is a sobering reminder that some roster stories are measured less by depth charts than by whether a player can get healthy enough to simply move forward. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Legend Questions What Ryan Day Took From The Game
Ryan Days decision to move Ohio States Senior Day from the familiar late-November setting against Michigan to Week 1 against Ball State has stirred a conversation that goes beyond one ceremony on the schedule. For Buckeye fans and former players, the timing of Senior Day has long been tied to the emotional finish of a season, so shifting it to the opener naturally raised eyebrows and invited plenty of reaction.
Cardale Jones was among the former Buckeyes who pushed back, saying he disagreed with the change and stressing the value of keeping Senior Day at the end of the year. The debate now sits at the intersection of tradition and modern college football, where even long-standing rituals can feel unsettled, and Ohio States move has left some wondering whether this is a one-time adjustment or a sign of more changes to come. [Read more 🡒]