Julian Sayin is Ohio State’s starting quarterback, a former five star recruit who left Alabama the week Nick Saban retired and then, as a redshirt freshman, completed a higher percentage of his passes than all but two players in the history of college football. He opened 2026 with a 21 of 25 night against Ball State and gets Texas next. This page carries his bio, his career numbers and a game by game log that updates all season.
| Born | July 2005 (age 21) |
| Hometown | Carlsbad, California; Carlsbad High School |
| Size | 6 foot 1, 214 pounds |
| Path | Signed with Alabama and enrolled early in January 2024; entered the transfer portal on January 19, 2024, two days after Nick Saban retired, and announced for Ohio State two days after that |
| Recruiting | Five star, one of the top two quarterbacks in the 2024 class, Elite 11 MVP in 2023. His first scholarship offer came in eighth grade from Kenny Dillingham, then the offensive coordinator at Florida State. He left Carlsbad with 7,970 high school passing yards and 86 touchdowns |
| Family | His older brother Aidan was a starting quarterback at Penn; his sister Bailey played soccer at Chicago |
| Honors | National champion in 2024 as a backup; Big Ten Freshman of the Year, Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year and second team All Big Ten in 2025; fourth in the 2025 Heisman voting |
2026 Game Log
| Date | Opponent | Result | Comp / Att | Yards | TD | INT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sept. 5 | Ball State | W 56 to 3 | 21 / 25 | 320 | 3 | 0 |
Rows are added after each game. The full schedule with live scores is on Ohio State football score.
Career Stats
| Season | GS | Comp / Att | Pct | Yards | TD | INT | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 Alabama | 0 | Early enrollee, never played a game | |||||
| 2024 Ohio State | 0 | 5 / 12 | 41.7 | 84 | 1 | 0 | 128.0 |
| 2025 Ohio State | 14 | 301 / 391 | 77.0 | 3,610 | 32 | 8 | 177.5 |
| 2026 to date | 1 | 21 / 25 | 84.0 | 320 | 3 | 0 | |
The Completion Percentage Record
Sayin finished 2025 at 77.0 percent, the best single season mark in Ohio State history, a Big Ten record and the third highest in FBS history. He was on pace to own the all time record until the Cotton Bowl, where he went 22 of 35 with two interceptions in a 24 to 14 playoff quarterfinal loss to Miami. Two more completions that night and the record would have been his.
The Short Version
Sayin redshirted behind Will Howard on the 2024 national title team, appearing in four games and throwing one touchdown. He won the job in August 2025 and opened with a 14 to 7 win over No. 1 Texas on 13 of 20 passing. A week later he went 18 of 19 for 306 yards and four touchdowns against Grambling State. He threw for a career high 393 yards on 36 of 42 passing at Wisconsin, carried Ohio State to a 12 and 0 regular season and a 27 to 9 win over Michigan, then lost the Big Ten championship game to Indiana 13 to 10 and the Cotton Bowl to Miami. He finished fourth in the Heisman voting.
Heisman Odds
Sayin opened Week 1 around 12 to 1 and moved out to 14 to 1 at BetMGM even after the Ball State game, largely because Miami’s Darian Mensah posted a five touchdown debut the same weekend and took over the market. The full board updates weekly on Heisman odds.
The Bottom Line
Julian Sayin is a 21 year old redshirt sophomore from Carlsbad, California, who transferred from Alabama after Nick Saban retired and then threw for 3,610 yards and 32 touchdowns while completing 77.0 percent of his passes in his first season as a starter. He finished fourth in the 2025 Heisman voting and opened 2026 with 320 yards and three touchdowns against Ball State. This page updates after every game.