Let's be clear at the start of this discussion: For a redshirt freshman, Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin had a pretty good season. Freshmen and sophomores are supposed to struggle to a certain degree. They aren't supposed to have everything figured out. Sayin completed a high percentage of his passes and ran the Ohio State offense very capably. On balance, he had a good year ... for a player going through his first full season as a college starter. Yet, the reality of being a younger player, with all its limitations, prevented the Buckeyes from doing more. The 2026 NFL draft pounded home this basic point.
Ohio State receiver Carnell Tate being the first Buckeye off the board at No. 4 showed very clearly why Julian Sayin held back the Buckeyes. Ohio State used a short, high-percentage passing game, which didn't maximize Tate's production. Ohio State -- not unreasonably, it should be said -- wanted to make the game simpler and safer for Sayin as a comparatively less experienced player. Nevertheless, the passing game was not as dynamic as it was in the CFP the season before with Will Howard. Tate rising to the top five showed Sayin wasn't ready to maximize Ohio State's high-end weapons last season.
Ohio State had three defensive players go off the board in the first 11 picks of the 2026 NFL Draft. Julian Sayin had a great defense behind him and still couldn't win a playoff game or the Big Ten title.
Ohio State did something no Big Ten team had done since Michigan State way back in 1967: It put four players in the first 11 picks. Not winning the Big Ten title or a playoff game with all those resources puts the focus squarely on the quarterback.
Let's not sugarcoat this: Julian Sayin got exposed in the CFP quarterfinals against Miami. His pick-six was a game-altering play. Sayin lost the game on a night when his defense played very well.
Ohio State's defense similarly did its job, holding Indiana and No. 1 NFL draft pick Fernando Mendoza to just 13 points in the Big Ten Championship Game. Sayin and the OSU offense managed only 10 points.
The expectations for Julian Sayin in 2026 are -- and should be -- very large. Win the Big Ten. Win the national title. Put Curt Cignetti and the Hoosiers in their place. We will see if Ohio State is going to be making the right moves and Sayin the right things this fall.
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This article originally appeared on College Sports Wire: NFL draft shows why Julian Sayin was Ohio State's weak link in 2025