With Will Howard off to the NFL, Ohio State enters the 2025 season with a new face at quarterback.
The defending national champions are rolling out sophomore Julian Sayin as their top passer for 2025, with head coach Ryan Day naming Sayin as his QB1 prior to Week 1. Sayin hasn't yet seen much opportunity in the college ranks, but he has spent time with another elite program.
The 20-year-old committed to Alabama as a prospect coming out of California, and he honored that commitment with a brief stint practicing with the Crimson Tide as an early enrollee. However, Sayin then chose to instead take his talents to Columbus in January 2024.
Here's why Sayin, the Buckeyes' new starter, transferred out of Alabama in 2024.
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Why did Julian Sayin transfer from Alabama to Ohio State?
Regarded as one of the top quarterbacks in the 2024 class, Sayin committed to Alabama when he was a junior at Carlsbad High School in California in 2022. Sayin was then set to join the Crimson Tide by their 2024 campaign. Legendary coach Nick Saban was still at the helm of Alabama's program at the time of Sayin's commitment.
Late in Alabama's 2023 season, when the team was preparing for a CFP matchup against Michigan, Sayin practiced with the Crimson Tide as an early enrollee for the following season. Alabama's starting quarterback at the time, Jalen Milroe, even said he was doing what he could to guide Sayin as he joined the program.
"Yeah, for me, I've been in his shoes, being a freshman, coming into college. All I can try to do is give him the information that I've got and really try to allow him to be a sponge from the information that I have and be a good teammate for him," Milroe said, per Alabama on SI. "With him, he spins the ball really well. It's been really good to have him in the room."
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However, everything changed for Alabama's program after its 27-20 overtime loss to the Wolverines, which marked Saban's first playoff semifinal loss since 2014. Alabama finished the season 12-2, but on January 10, 2024, Saban announced his retirement from coaching.
Because the entire active Alabama team and many recruits had committed to the program to play under Saban, his retirement resulted in significant turnover for the Crimson Tide. Kalen DeBoer accepted the role of succeeding Saban soon after, but that decision wasn't enough to convince some players to stay at Alabama, including Sayin.
Among the notable players who transferred away from the Crimson Tide after Saban's retirement were safety Caleb Downs, wide receivers Isaiah Bond and Ja'Corey Brooks, and cornerbacks Kristian Story and Trey Amos.
On Jan. 21, 2024, Sayin announced he was transferring from Alabama to Ohio State, ending his time with the Crimson Tide before it really even began. Just around a week earlier, Sayin had technically enrolled at Alabama, but that was short-lived; the Buckeyes had offered the quarterback in high school, per 247Sports, so he took his talents to Columbus.
BREAKING: Former Alabama QB Julian Sayin has Committed to Ohio State, @on3sports has learned
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) January 21, 2024
The 6’1 195 QB is ranked as the No. 1 QB in the Class of 2024 & in the Transfer Portal
The Buckeyes now have 2 Top 5 QBs in their 2024 Class 👀https://t.co/ZDJRW6Vq7A pic.twitter.com/uZAaEavWu8
Given Sayin's status as one of the top 2024 quarterback recruits, his transfer before even starting his first official year at Alabama was notable. Sayin wound up developing over his first season at Ohio State under Day, but earned the starting job in 2025 after Will Howard left for the NFL.
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Julian Sayin stats
Sayin is heading into his second collegiate season, where he should see plenty more opportunities on the field. In his freshman season at Ohio State, Sayin appeared in just four games as a backup to Howard. Over 27 snaps, he completed 5-of-12 passes for 84 yards and one touchdown.
Sayin's 55-yard touchdown pass came in a blowout 56-0 win over Western Michigan:
WIDE OPEN! 😤
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 8, 2024
Bennett Christian with the @OhioStateFB TD this time 🌰 pic.twitter.com/ZiHVFlaMwq
Julian Sayin recruiting
Sayin was the No. 1 quarterback in the 247Sports Composite's consensus rankings for the 2024 recruiting class, ranking ahead of names like DJ Lagway and Dylan Raiola. As a 6-1, 195-pound quarterback coming out of Carlsbad, California, Sayin was on the radar for some of the top schools in the country.
Among the teams to make an offer to Sayin, per 247Sports, were Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, LSU, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State and Texas. However, as a junior in high school in 2022, Sayin committed to the Crimson Tide following a visit to Tuscaloosa.
The Buckeyes made an offer to Sayin around two months after his Alabama commitment, and after signing with Saban's squad in December 2023 and enrolling in January 2024, the quarterback transferred to Ohio State.
In high school, Sayin was named the 2023 Gatorade California Player of the Year, throwing for 2,347 yards with 24 touchdowns and one interception in his senior season. When Sayin became a transfer candidate in January 2024, 247Sports' Greg Biggins wrote that "he always had an advanced feel for the position with an extremely high football IQ," and "he’s an accurate passer, poised and understands timing and anticipation."
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