Ohio State coordinator compares Julian Sayin to former Big Ten and Super Bowl winning quarterback

Jason Jones

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Ohio State coordinator compares Julian Sayin to former Big Ten and Super Bowl winning quarterback image

Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Ohio State Buckeyesare off to a 9-0 undefeated start due in large part to the quarterback play from freshman Julian Sayin. Sayin is currently the leaders among Heisman Trophy odds, just ahead of Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza and Alabama’s Ty Simpson.

Through nine games, Sayin has thrown for a shade under 2,500 yards and 24 touchdowns against only 4 interceptions. The yards are impressive, ranking him 13th in all of college football, but first among teams in the college football playoff hunt.

There are two other stats not yet mentioned that make Sayin’s recent NFL comp very intriguing. Sayin through nine games has only been sacked 5 times. While Sayin is not a dual threat quarterback he’s not afraid to use his legs. Primarily to navigate the pocket or make small gains.

The truly impressive stat is his completion percentage. Currently at 80.9% Sayin in on a trajectory to break the single season completion percentage record in college football, currently held by Bo Nix (77.4%). If the percentage holds, Sayin would reset the record by more than +3%.

Buckeyes defensive coordinator Matt Patricia has high praise for the freshman quarterback. Patricia made a name for himself as a coordinator under Bill Belichick with the Patriots, then later as a short stint as an NFL head coach.

Patricia calls Sayin a 'young' Drew Brees

In his time in the NFL Patricia won three Super Bowls with the Patriots. According to CBS Sports, Patricia compared his current quarterback to a very successful, former Big Ten QB, Drew Brees.

"Very efficient, really good leader, smart with the football," Patricia said of Sayin on the Down 2 Business podcast. "He's doing a good job of getting the ball out to those guys, too. So maybe that's a young Drew Brees. Maybe that's where we're headed with it." 

While Purdue with Brees was not in the same position Ohio State currently is, he left his mark on the game. While playing for Purdue, Brees led the Big Ten in completions all three seasons as the full-time starter and led the Big Ten in completion percentage in 1998 and 2000.

In his senior season in 2000, Brees and the Boilermakers earned a share of the Big Ten title and a trip to the Rose Bowl for the first time in over 30 years. Fun side note, Brees won that game on after a late 64-yard touchdown pass, to beat Ohio State.

Sayin has an opportunity to pull off a rare double feat. Ohio State is the No. 1 team in the country and have been for most of the season. More recently, Sayin has climbed to the No. 1 Heisman odds. If Sayin and Ohio State continue the way they have, a National Championship and Heisman Trophy win are not outside the realm of possibility.

This Saturday the Buckeyes welcome UCLA into the Horseshoe. That game will kick off at 7:30pm ET and broadcast on NBC.  

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