After the 2025 season ended in heartbreak, Ryan Day has been remarkably transparent about the next step in his program’s evolution. The shift focuses on production rather than promise, and central to this is Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin.
What Ryan Day Expects From Ohio State Quarterback Julian Sayin in 2026
Day recently appeared on “Always College Football” and doubled down on his challenge to Sayin to make an impact with his feet when “the time is right.” Then the Buckeyes’ head coach mentioned that Sayin not using his feet didn’t result in the losses in high-stakes games against Indiana and Miami.
“But that’s not the reason why we lost those games. I mean, it’s easy just to blame things on the quarterback. I know he would have liked to have played better, but it’s all of us, it’s coaches and players included. But again, there’s a reference point now moving forward, and now that he’s into Year Two, everything won’t be for the first time,” Day said.
Sayin was statistically elite in his 2025 campaign, throwing for 3,610 yards and 32 touchdowns, and as a result, he ended up as the No. 4-ranked QB in the nation, per PFSN’s CFB QB Impact Metrics.
But Day has identified a missing ingredient: quarterback mobility. For the Buckeyes, this isn’t about turning a pocket passer into a scrambler. It’s about the X-factor of extending plays and punishing defenses that drop eight into coverage.
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So, as spring practice unfolds, the Buckeyes’ outlook is dominated by three pivotal questions. Can Sayin transition to a veteran playmaker who can navigate the pockets of big games? How quickly will the offense adapt to new OC Arthur Smith’s NFL-style schemes? With stars like Caleb Downs moving on to the NFL, can Matt Patricia’s defense maintain its standard?
If Sayin fails to become a credible rushing threat, Ohio State risks being one-dimensional against elite defenses, the exact issue that stalled their 2025 playoff run. Conversely, if the offensive line doesn’t gel quickly under the new coaching staff, the Buckeyes could struggle early against a Tier 1 opponent like Texas in Week 2.
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The expectation is nothing less than a Big Ten title and a deep CFP run. Sayin helps them by providing rare stability, and he can focus entirely on leadership. By utilizing his reference point of experience, Sayin can act as a coach on the field for younger stars like Chris Henry Jr., ensuring the Buckeyes don’t just put up spectacular clips but win the high-leverage games that have recently eluded them.
