Julian Sayin, a former signee for Alabama, is moving to Ohio State, according to 247Sports. Sayin signed a contract with Alabama in December and participated in bowl practices as the Crimson Tide got ready to play Michigan in the College Football Playoff semifinals. However, after famous coach Nick Saban announced his retirement in January, Sayin made the decision to use the transfer portal.
Sayin is already on the Ohio State campus and will participate in spring practice with the Buckeyes, according to 247Sports. Since he used the gateway within 30 days of Alabama’s coaching change, he will be able to play right away.
In 247Sports’ transfer rankings, Sayin is ranked as the top quarterback prospect and the sixth overall. As a five-star player out of Carlsbad (California) High School, he was actively recruited by the Ohio State University. He
committed to Alabama in November 2022, but while going through the high school recruiting process, received an offer from Ohio State a few months later and made several trips to Columbus.
“They were actually No. 2 for him,” 247Sports was told by Carlsbad coach Thad MacNeal. They really came in second, and as far as I’m aware, he went at least twice. He adored the offense, Ryan Day, and how quarterback-friendly he is. Ohio State has been a fantastic place to develop quarterbacks, and Julian has a lot of respect for the wide receiver coach, Brian Hartline. He was active in Julian’s recruitment, and Ohio State has a fantastic wide receiver group, which is obviously very important to quarterbacks.”
Sayin won California Gatorade Player of the Year after throwing for 2,347 yards and 24 touchdowns against only one interception. He was ranked as the No. 21 prospect in the country for the class of 2024. He also took part in the Under Armour All-America Game and received MVP honors from the Elite 11 Finals.
QB room flipping at Ohio State
Sayin is the third well-known quarterback to sign an off-season contract with Ohio State. In December, the Buckeyes signed four-star Air Noland, who is projected to be the sixth-best quarterback in 2024, and they also managed to get four-star Kansas State transfer Will Howard to commit.
After Ohio State lost Kyle McCord to the transfer portal, Howard appears to be the clear favorite to take over as the starting quarterback. During his first three seasons at Kansas State, Howard was a part-time starter. However, in 2023, he assumed full control of the starting lineup and went on to achieve an 8-4 record while throwing for 2,643 yards and 24 touchdowns against 10 interceptions.
Howard brings the gritty, hard-nosed football approach that Day has recently emphasized, even though he doesn’t match the mold of the traditional Ohio State quarterback (7.4 yards per attempt from 2023 are over two yards below average among quarterbacks since Day took over in 2019). With his 6-foot-5, 242-pound body, he is a punishing runner who finished the season with 351 yards rushing and nine touchdowns.
Additionally, Howard will no longer be eligible for the position after the 2024 season, leaving it available for grabs. Barring injury, that allows both Noland and Sayin to grow without feeling compelled to start as true freshmen. When the calendar rolls to 2025, the quarterback competition for the Buckeyes will be really interesting.
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