Julian Sayin


Julian Sayin is an American college football quarterback for the Ohio State Buckeyes. He is a former five-star recruit who began his career as an early enrollee for the Alabama Crimson Tide before transferring to Ohio State.

Early life

Sayin grew up in Solana Beach, California and attended Carlsbad High School in Carlsbad. Sayin sat behind his brother, Aidan, his freshman season. He became the Lancers' starting quarterback entering his sophomore year and finished the season with 2,769 passing yards with 34 touchdowns and five interceptions. Sayin passed for 2,708 yards and 27 touchdowns as a junior. On June 27, 2022, Sayin was announced as one of the quarterbacks to play in the 2024 Polynesian Bowl. He participated in the finals of the 2023 Elite 11 quarterback competition and was named the tournament's MVP. Sayin also participated in the QB retreat competition in 2023 with Steve Clarkson. Sayin was named captain of the football team before the 2023 season. In his final season, he had 2,369 passing yards, 24 touchdowns, and one interception, adding four additional rushing touchdowns.
Notably, in his 2025 full-season campaign, Sayin fell just short of breaking Bo Nix of Oregon's 2023 NCAA Football Pass Completion Percentage record, finishing at 77.0% to Nix's 77.5%. Sayin was on pace to break the record, but was derailed by a poor performance during a losing effort to Miami in the 2025 Cotton Bowl, where Sayin completed just 22 of 35 passes with 2 interceptions, just two missed completions shy of Nix's record.

High school statistics

College career

Alabama

Sayin began practicing as an early enrollee with Alabama during the 2023 season in preparation for the 2024 Rose Bowl. On January 19, 2024, Sayin entered the transfer portal following the retirement of Nick Saban.

Ohio State

2024 season

On January 21, 2024, Sayin announced he was transferring to Ohio State. On January 31, he signed a name, image, and likeness deal with Panini America, a trading card company owned by Panini Group. On February 14, 2024, Sayin signed another NIL deal this time with an Ohio State-driven collective known as The Foundation. Sayin threw his first collegiate touchdown against Western Michigan on September 7, 2024. Sayin made a few more appearances throughout the season, and was part of the 2025 College Football Playoff National Championship team.

2025 season

On August 18, 2025, Sayin was named the starting quarterback as a Redshirt freshman following the departure of Will Howard to the 2025 NFL draft. In his first start, Sayin defeated No. 1 Texas while completing 13 of 20 pass attempts for 126 yards and one touchdown. In a Week 8 victory against Wisconsin, Sayin completed 36 of 42 pass attempts and set a career-high in passing yards with 393 yards with 4 touchdowns.

College statistics

Personal life

Sayin's older brother, Aidan, was the starting quarterback at the University of Pennsylvania. His older sister, Bailey, played soccer at the University of Chicago.