Julian Sayin (SAY-ən; born July 22, 2005) is an American college football quarterback for the Ohio State Buckeyes. Sayin won a national championship as a backup with Ohio State in 2024.
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Early life
Sayin grew up in Carlsbad, 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.
In his 2025 full-season campaign, Sayin fell 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.
Sayin was rated a five-star recruit and the second-best quarterback prospect in the 2024 class. He received his first scholarship offer when he was in 8th grade from Kenny Dillingham, then the offensive coordinator at Florida State. Sayin committed to play college football at Alabama during his junior season after considering offers from Georgia and LSU. He had other notable offers from Notre Dame, Texas, and Florida.
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
On January 21, 2024, Sayin announced he was transferring to Ohio State. On January 31, he signed a name, image, and likeness (NIL) 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.
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 led the Buckeyes to a 14–7 victory over No. 1 Texas, completing 13 of 20 passes for 126 yards and one touchdown. The following week, he went 18 of 19 for 306 yards with four touchdowns and one interception in a 70–0 win against Grambling State. In a Week 8 victory against Wisconsin, Sayin completed 36 of 42 passes for a career-high 393 yards and four touchdowns. He led the Buckeyes to an undefeated 12–0 regular season, earning a No. 1 national ranking and a berth in the 2025 Big Ten Football Championship Game against Indiana. Sayin completed 21 of 29 passes for 258 yards with one touchdown and one interception in a 13–10 loss. In the CFP quarterfinal at the Cotton Bowl, Sayin and Ohio State were defeated by Miami, 24–14. He finished the game 22 of 35 for 287 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions.
Sayin concluded the season with 301 completions on 391 attempts (77.0% completion rate, third-best all-time in FBS) for 3,610 yards, 32 touchdowns, and eight interceptions. He was named Second-Team All-Big Ten and received both the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year and Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors. He also finished fourth in Heisman Trophy voting.
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, falling just two missed completions shy of Nix's record.
Personal life
Sayin's older brother, Aidan, was a starting quarterback for the Penn Quakers. His older sister, Bailey, played soccer for the Chicago Maroons.