In the hours preceding Ohio State’s eventual national championship victory, it was hard not to be transfixed watching a 6-foot-1 freshman quarterback throw the ball.
Spend a minute watching Julian Sayin throw the ball and you understand why he was ranked the No. 3 quarterback in the class of 2024, according to the 247Sports, behind only Florida’s DJ Lagway and Nebraska’s Dylan Raiola. The player Sayin reminded West Coast scout Greg Biggins of was JJ McCarthy, ironically enough.
The ball effortlessly jumped out of Sayin’s hand as he showed off pinpoint accuracy warming up inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Sayin surely knew it would take a calamity — or a huge blowout — for him to actually play against Notre Dame in the title game but he more than looked the part dropping perfect pass after perfect pass into his receivers’ hands.
If Ohio State is going to return to that setting next year, Sayin will be a big reason why. He doesn’t have the size of outgoing starting quarterback Will Howard (6-foot-4, 235-pounds) or incoming five-star quarterback Tavien St. Clair (6-foot-4, 225-pounds).
But the way Sayin throws the ball and the preternatural calm that envelops his play, it’s easy to imagine how explosive the Ohio State offense can still be with star receivers Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate coming back to Columbus. He looked every bit like the heir apparent on the night Ohio State finally broke through and won it all.
“Jules is a great kid,” Ohio State quarterback Will Howard told CBS Sports. “From the moment he’s come in, he’s tried to be a sponge. He’s a quick learner and he processes really, really well for a freshman, better than a lot of guys I’ve seen.
“The dude spins a ball like I’ve never seen a ball get spun before. When the ball comes out of his hand, it’s pretty. It looks very pretty.”
This wasn’t where Julian Sayin expected to be.
After a thorough and thoughtful recruiting process, as extensively detailed in the book “The Price: What It Takes to Win in College Football’s Era of Chaos,” the California native chose Alabama over Georgia, LSU and Penn State. Sayin, a five-star, had his pick of college football bluebloods, with some like Penn State even promising him a starting spot (this was in 2022 before Drew Allar took over as the starter). Nevertheless, Sayin fell in love with the idea of playing for Nick Saban, knowing he’d have to compete for everything he received. He liked the businesslike approach Saban and offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien took during the recruiting process, and believed Tuscaloosa was the best place for him to develop for the NFL.
He graduated Carlsbad High School a semester early, enrolled at Alabama and got to practice with the team in its Rose Bowl preparation for its game against Michigan. His family uprooted their life in California and moved to Alabama, ready to provide a support system for their young phenom in Tuscaloosa.
And then on his first day of classes at Alabama, his world got rocked. Saban, the legendary coach of seven national championships, was retiring. Sayin was stunned.
He had wanted to play for Saban and the Alabama coach couldn’t wait to coach him. Saban’s wife, Terry, even told a friend the day of the Texas game that they wished they already had Sayin on the roster to play against the Longhorns, according to The Price. Alabama would go on to lose, 34-24, to Texas later that day, the worst home loss of Saban’s 17 years in Tuscaloosa.
In his exit meeting with Sayin, Saban told him he’d have a good chance to start the following season if he stayed at Alabama.
Instead, after the arrival of new Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer and his staff, Sayin decided to enter the transfer portal. The fit felt off for Sayin, who had a singular quick two-minute meeting with DeBoer.
“Two minutes. Asked him how to spell his last name. The kid is devastated, and not because he needs the attention. He wants to play on Sunday. How he’s going to get there when he came to play for Nick Saban and the program, and now he’s watching this. It’s incredible.”
Karen Brandenburg, Julian’s mom, in “The Price”
He had immediate interest from multiple programs, including USC, but decided on Ohio State because of his connection to Ryan Day and new offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien, who ran point on his recruitment at Alabama. He was joined in Columbus by a couple familiar faces in former Alabama center Seth McLaughlin and former Alabama defensive back Caleb Downs.
O’Brien would leave a month later to become Boston College’s head coach, though Sayin already had a relationship with his replacement, Chip Kelly, who had recruited him while at UCLA.
It was a dizzying amount of change for the college freshman, who left high school early, saw his beloved coach stun the college football world with his retirement and then a year later was preparing to play in a national championship deep in SEC country for a Big Ten school.
“Definitely a little crazy but couldn’t have ended up at a better spot,” Sayin told CBS Sports. “Coach Day, Coach Kelly do a really good job of coaching quarterbacks so I’m really appreciative of them.”
Ohio State’s Chip Kelly at top of list for several NFL teams in need of offensive coordinator
Jonathan Jones
Ohio State’s Chip Kelly at top of list for several NFL teams in need of offensive coordinator
Kelly, whose decision to leave UCLA for Ohio State worked out magnificently, was asked before Monday’s title game about what Sayin’s ceiling could be. The Ohio State offensive coordinator was quick to effusively praise the true freshman.
“It’s as high as he wants it to be,” Kelly said. “I think he’s a tremendously talented player. He’s got a great work ethic. We’re excited about him.”