The bright lights of New York crowned Fernando Mendoza as the 2025 Heisman winner, but that’s not the end of the world for the rest. And Ohio State head coach Ryan Day made sure his quarterback, Julian Sayin, knows that the night marked a starting point, not a setback.

“Guys who get invited to New York are multiple-year players, you know, guys who have played a lot of football,” Ohio State head coach Ryan Day said during the Heisman ceremony. “This is Julian’s first year of playing football, and to see the way that he’s taken this first year with everything that comes with being the quarterback at Ohio State and handling it with humility, he’s got a lot of football ahead of him. Not just this year, but down the road, and I’m really proud of him.”

Julian Sayin entered New York with the hope of winning the Heisman but finished fourth with 432 points in the 2025 Heisman Trophy voting behind Notre Dame’s running back Jeremiyah Love. For Sayin, it was his childhood dream come true moment when he saw Marcus Mariota win the Heisman in 2014 and imagined himself on that stage.

But despite the heartbreak, Ryan Day wanted to make it clear to him how far he has come and that he still has plenty of time left.

Sayin came in as a redshirt freshman starter from Alabama and took over for Will Howard. Throwing for 3,323 yards, 31 touchdowns, and six interceptions, while leading the nation with a 78.4% completion rate. All this in just one year! Meanwhile, top contenders like Mendoza and Diego Pavia have already played at different stops and built their resumes strongly.

Mendoza played at the California Golden Bears before coming to Indiana; the same for Diego Pavia, who was at New Mexico State before transferring to Vanderbilt. Even Jeremiyah Love played at Notre Dame for three seasons. Now, his toughness in the very first season already makes him a strong Heisman contender in the coming years.

In his first season, he helped Ohio State win against Michigan under Ryan Day, breaking a four-year drought. On top of it, Sayin has led the nation all season long in completion percentage, which is 78.4%, and passing efficiency, which is 182.05. His completion percentage this season surpasses the 77.4% completion rate by Oregon’s Bo Nix in 2023. So, now you know why Day thinks it’s just the start for him.

But one of the major reasons behind his 4th place finish is that Ohio State’s Big 10 title loss against Indiana also hurt Sayin’s chances too. He completed 21 of his 29 passes for 258 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. Even though it wasn’t his best performance, it wasn’t bad either, but the loss affected them big time.

In praising Sayin’s caliber, Ryan Day is also making big moves.

Ryan Day saves Ohio State’s fate

Ryan Day isn’t just boosting Julian Sayin’s willpower but also making sure his team stays intact. Things turned headfirst for Ohio State when Brian Hartline unexpectedly accepted the head coaching job at USF, as it not only put their playoff hopes in doubt but also complicated the commitment of elite 2026 wide receiver Chris Henry Jr. With uncertainty swirling, Ryan Day stepped up and kept his team together.

“We obviously let him know that nothing’s changed here other than the fact that we’re going to try and find the best coach in America to go coach you,” Day said. “We also gave him the space, too. [We] didn’t try to inundate him because this is his decision.”

And after two days, Henry reaffirmed his commitment to Ohio State and made it clear to Ryan Day that he is “coming home.”

Well, losing Henry would have been a big blow for Ryan Day and his team. This former Withrow High School player has been turning heads since the 2023 season. He recorded 1,127 receiving yards and 10 TDs on 71 catches. And last year, he transferred to Mater Dei, where he appeared in two games before his knee injury and finished the season with 3 catches for 20 yards and 2 touchdowns.

This shows Ryan Day isn’t just here to develop his team but also to make sure they trust him, too.