Ohio State’s Ryan Day Breaks Silence: What Really Awaits Julian Sayin at the Buckeyes?

So, the Ohio State Buckeyes have finally named Julian Sayin their starting quarterback for the 2025-26 season—big shoes to fill, right? With the jaw-dropping Week 1 showdown against the top-ranked Texas Longhorns looming, Coach Ryan Day didn’t beat around the bush on “The Pat McAfee Show.” His message? Forget the flashy stats or pressure to be perfect; Sayin’s only real job is straightforward and brutal: win games. Makes you wonder—could simplicity be the secret sauce to mastering pressure in a high-stakes debut? Trusting one’s daily grind over scoreboard anxiety might just be the game-changer here. Buckle up—this season opener promises a fascinating blend of raw talent, nerves, and sheer determination. LEARN MORE

The Ohio State Buckeyes recently announced that Julin Sayin is the starting quarterback for the 2025-26 season. With the Week 1 opener against the Texas Longhorns right around the corner, head coach Ryan Day shares an honest take about Sayin’s expectations this season.

During a guest appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show,” the 46-year-old head coach claimed that the only expectation on Sayin’s plate is winning games. Day said that Ohio State has to find ways to win and that Sayin must trust his abilities as a quarterback.

“The thing that I’ve said to [Julian Sayin], and I’ve really said to our team, is that there is no expectations other than winning the game,” said Ryan Day. “Because when you go into a first start like this as a quarterback, or any position, especially a game like this, it’s easy to start saying, ‘Well, I need to throw for this many touchdowns, or have this many tackles, or whatever it might be. Then all of a sudden, when the game doesn’t go the way you expect, you can find yourself kind of getting distracted.

“That can’t be the case here,” continued Ryan Day. “We have to figure out a way to win the game. That’s it. Gotta play really, really hard. But for [Sayin], he’s gotta trust what he does every day in practice. He got a chance to see Will [Howard] lead last year, and see his command in the huddle, and how [Howard] handled those types of things. And every day, [Sayin] is growing more and more. Once we named him the starter, I feel like he’s picked up some momentum.”

"There's no expectation other than winning the game for Julian Sayin..

We have to figure out a way to win the game and he's gotta trust what he does" ~ @ryandaytime #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/P64RIdvyRv

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) August 29, 2025

Ryan Day, Julian Sayin, and the Ohio State Buckeyes will begin the season on Saturday against the No. 1-ranked Texas Longhorns. The game will kick off at noon EST and will be aired on Fox.

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