Sayin’s postseason play clearly showed that something was missing in him. Now, Ohio State’s Ryan Day has pinpointed the exact element he believes was missing, offering a clear reason for both the struggles and his optimism for the sophomore’s future. And according to the Buckeyes coach, that missing piece became painfully obvious in the biggest moments of the season.

“There aren’t too many guys his age that, you know, in one year of playing, I’ve made it to New York City,” Ryan Day backed Sayin on Jim Rome’s show. “And so for me, when you look at that position, a lot of the guys have been older guys, guys that either transferred from the school where they were or had played multiple years. And so for his first year as a start, he did a lot of great things. This is exciting for us.”

Even though the 24–14 loss to the Miami Hurricanes in the Cotton Bowl was disappointing, Sayin just “lacked experience” in the biggest moments. There’s only so much a freshman could do. Walking into a playoff game against Miami’s defense with one year of starting under your belt is a massive ask. He backed his guy, saying most elite QBs need dozens of games to handle a defense that aggressive, and the good news is Sayin is just getting started.

The “lacked experience” comment was Day’s way of saying the kid is still human. Sayin got hit with 5 sacks because Miami’s ferocious edge rushers were basically living in the backfield. And as a freshman with 13 starts, he sometimes held the ball a split second too long, trying to make a play even when it was prudent to throw it away.

Day even defended that brutal 72-yard pick-six, calling it the right aggressive decision that just met an elite defensive play. Sayin still put up 287 passing yards while being under siege the entire night. Then again, it wasn’t like the offensive line was doing any favors. Truth be told, when you look at the whole season in hindsight, he did wonders. Sayin was out there leading the nation with a 77% completion rate, adding over 3600 yards and 32 touchdowns. Ryan Day doubled down:

“I think this is only just a few times in my career that I’ve had a quarterback come back to play for two years in a row, so he’ll have that experience to draw back on, which is great, year older in the system.”

When you play on a team like the Ohio State Buckeyes, it’s almost rare that you come back for Year 2 because of the next-man-up lineup. The majority of Buckeyes play one season and head to the NFL or elsewhere. The only QBs who have played two seasons under Day are Justin Fields (2019, 2020) and C. J. Stroud (2021, 2022). And the rest of the gunslingers under Ryan Day, like Dwayne Haskins, Kyle McCord, and Will Howard, played just about one season. All the two-year starters made the playoff semifinals under Day. Following this trend, Ohio State will probably make a much deeper playoff run next season under a seasoned Sayin.

There is one big problem though, that looms large when you consider the other side of the ball. Columbus had the best defense throughout the regular season. Many of the stars from that group are now gone. No more Caleb Downs or Arvell Reese to act as anchors for that defense. This means that even if Sayin plays perfectly, that defense by Matt Patricia needs to keep its production consistent.

Meanwhile, Sayin is the only returning Heisman finalist for the 2026 season. He finished 4th in the voting this year, but with the winner (Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza) and other finalists moving on or being outshone, Sayin is officially the frontrunner to take the trophy home next year. The “experience” he gained from that Miami loss is being viewed by the coaching staff as the final piece of the puzzle. Plus, he’s got a secret weapon that no program in Power-Four has.

Julian Sayin’s secret weapon next season

One of the big reasons everybody’s so confident is that Sayin got college football’s finest athlete, Jeremiah Smith, lining up for him. Even in that loss to Miami, Smith was mossing the Miami DB room with 157 yards and a touchdown. He called it a season with 1,243 yards and 12 scores while missing a couple of games here and there. Plus, he’s got a new OC in Arthur Smith ready to run an NFL style offense now.

Some fans believe 2024 was a sophomore slump for Jeremiah. They are expecting him to have the best season of his career in his arguably final year of college. Buckeye Nation views that Cotton Bowl loss as the key factor that will motivate this duo to be even more precise next year.

For the 2026 season, the plan is for Sayin to focus on “seeing the field” better and using his underrated mobility to escape when the pocket collapses, something he struggled with against Miami’s rush. If he can add a scrambling element to that record-breaking accuracy, 2026 is going to be a scary year for the rest of the Big Ten.