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Jeremiah Smith reacts to Julian Sayin being named Ohio State starting quarterback

Danby: Daniel Hager08/20/25DanielHagerOn3
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© Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Ohio State, fresh off its National Championship win over Notre Dame last season, will trot out redshirt freshman quarterback Julian Sayin this season. Sayin will replace Will Howard at the position, as he was selected in the Sixth Round of the 2025 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Sayin is set up to exceed immediately, as the Buckeyes once again boast one of (if not the best) wide receiver rooms in all of college football. Reigning Second Team All-American Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate lead the way, flanked by Brandon Inniss, Mylan Graham and five-star freshman Quincy Porter.

Smith joined The Triple Option podcast with Rob Stone, Urban Meyer and Mark Ingram on Wednesday, where he discussed having Sayin as his starting quarterback this season. The Miami Gardens, FL native had a spectacular season as a freshman in 2024, as he hauled in 76 receptions for 1,315 yards and 15 touchdowns.

“I’m expecting Julian to go out there every single week and put on a show,” Smith said. “Julian’s a smart player and a smart quarterback. He can make any and every throw. A student of the game and I just can’t wait to see the things he does this year.”

Sayin was No. 8 ranked player in Class of 2024

Sayin was the No. 8 ranked player nationally in the Class of 2024 (No. 2 ranked quarterback behind Florida‘s DJ Lagway). He played in four games (preserving his redshirt) last season, where he completed 5 of his 12 attempted passes for 84 yards and one touchdown.

“I think you’re always looking for consistency and taking care of the football,” head coach Ryan Day said when discussing the quarterback battle between Sayin and Lincoln Kienholz. “And when you start with practice one in the spring and then kind of do study on the entire growth over six months, you see that there was a lot of growth made. You look at the numbers that the production, we felt like he was in a situation where he was really ready to go play in this game.”

Sayin won’t have any room to experience any growing pains this season, as No. 3 ranked Ohio State hosts No. 1 Texas in a blockbuster matchup to kick off the 2025 campaign. The game will take place on Aug. 30 at 12:00 PM on FOX.