Kirk Herbstreit labels Julian Sayin 'decisive' in Ryan Day's offense ahead of opener vs. Texas

Ohio State‘s season opener against Texas will feature two first-year starting quarterbacks in Julian Sayin and Arch Manning. With much of the hype surrounding Manning this offseason, Sayin, despite being a former five-star recruit, has flown under the radar compared to his opposing QB.

ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit, a Buckeyes alum, spoke highly of Sayin’s abilities ahead of the season opener. For those who may not be familiar with his capabilities, Herbstreit broke down what makes him fit to be QB1 for the reigning national champions.

“Julian Sayin is one of the more gifted passers that I think a lot of people ever saw coming out of high school football,” Herbstreit said on SportsCenter ahead of ESPN’s College GameDay. “He went to Alabama initially. Nick Saban retires. He comes to Ohio State and had a chance to sit behind Will Howard. Won the job in a good battle at camp. And I think what people see is, to me, he’s decisive.

“In Ryan Day’s team, he does a good job of making a quick reads, getting the ball out of his hands and finding an embarrassment of riches to get the football led by Jeremiah Smith. So this is going to be a quarterback — I’m sure they’ll find a way to get him settled in.”

Sayin beat out fellow QB Lincoln Kienholz for the starting job during fall camp. Ohio State head coach Ryan Day said he was looking for a signal caller who can take command of his offense, and it appears that Sayin fits the bill.

Fans were treated to a small sample of what he’s capable of, completing 5 of his 12 passes in 2024 for 84 yards and a touchdown. However, during his high school career he passed for 7,824 passing and threw 85 touchdowns compared to just 10 interceptions.

While Sayin lacks the same experience Ohio State enjoyed with Will Howard under center, Sayin’s former Five-Star Plus+ status coming out of the 2024 recruiting class is telling of how he’s expected to perform. Now that he’s won the job out of camp — Day expects Sayin to lead the offense to success from day one.

Kickoff between the Buckeyes and Longhorns is set for Noon ET and will air live on FOX. Ohio State is a one-point betting favorite over Texas to begin game day, according to BetMGM. The over/under is set at 47.5