The Surprising Reason Ryan Day Is Counting on Julian Sayin to Transform Ohio State’s 2026 Season

Can the Buckeyes really shake off last season’s sting and roar back to glory with a vengeance? With the 2026 college football season just a month away, Ohio State finds itself at a crossroads – bruised from a jolting playoff exit and two back-to-back losses, yet buoyed by the return of a burgeoning star quarterback, Julian Sayin. Now in his sophomore year, Sayin has the eyes of the nation on him, and head coach Ryan Day isn’t shy about his excitement. Add to that the electrifying Jeremiah Smith, a wide receiver whose freshman-year highlights still echo from the 2024 national championship, and you’ve got the makings of a potent offense ready to rewrite the Buckeyes’ story. But can this offense carry the day despite a defense taking a hit from the NFL Draft exodus? As September 5th sneaks closer, there’s plenty to chew on—and believe me, this Buckeye squad isn’t shy about making us all reconsider preseason predictions. LEARN MORE.

The Ohio State football program is just one month away from kicking off their 2026 college football season.  The Buckeyes are looking to bounce back after closing out last year with a whimper, losing two straight games and exiting early in the college football playoff.

This year, the Buckeyes will be bringing back considerable talent from last season, including Heisman Trophy finalist quarterback Julian Sayin.

Recently, Ohio State head coach Ryan Day spoke on his outlook for Sayin heading into the upcoming season, including what he is most excited about for the young quarterback, during a visit to ESPN’s The Pat McAfee Show.

“We do have a lot of pieces coming back on offense and we need to build off of last year.. This is year two for Julian Sayin and that’s exciting,” said Day, per Pat McAfee on X, formerly Twitter.

The most notable of those pieces is wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, who burst onto the scene as arguably the best player in the country as a freshman in 2024, helping lead the Buckeyes to the national championship that year with a game-sealing catch against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

Heading into year three, Smith remains the consensus top wide receiver in the country and will almost assuredly be taking his talents to the NFL level following this season.

With Smith and Sayin back in the mix, the Buckeyes seem poised to climb back on top of the college football landscape this year, despite the considerable amount of talent they lost to the NFL Draft this offseason, particularly on the defensive side of the ball.

In any case, the Buckeyes are set to kick off their new season on September 5 at home vs Ball State.

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