Julian Sayin came up big at Ohio State spring game, but is he big enough?
Julian Sayin came up big at Ohio State spring game, but is he big enough?
Ohio State found its starting quarterback Saturday, but can the relatively vertically-challenged Julian Sayin find his receivers over the giants in front of him? Let's discuss.
But first a spring game recap. For weeks, we have been hearing (and seeing during some limited access) that the Buckeyes' starting QB job is up for grabs. Whether true or not, Sayin, the second-year quarterback with the quick release, did most of the grabbing in the annual glorified scrimmage in Ohio Stadium.
The 6-footer – he is listed at 6-1 but after standing next to him … it's a stretch – completed 17 of 24 passes for 175 yards and a touchdown. He also led a second TD drive. Lincoln Kienholz's numbers were not bad. He was 12 of 18 for 158 yards and two TDs, but Sayin came out well ahead in the eye test.
Sayin's ability to stand his ground in the pocket and deliver on-the-money passes to all areas of the field put him ahead of Kienholz in the pecking order. The backup's backup, at least as of now, Tavien St. Clair was 11 of 15 for 116 yards, a touchdown and two 'I'm only a true freshman' interceptions.
Ohio State coach Ryan Day is not ready to name a starter, and won't be until the weeks leading to the Aug. 30 opener against Texas in the Shoe. Two reasons for his wait-and-see approach: 1. There is an entire summer of workouts and fall camp to analyze; and 2. Why name a starter before the transfer portal opens Wednesday and risk having your backup bolt for another school?
Did Julian Sayin win OSU's starting QB job?
But Sayin is the guy. Bank it. And mark it down as the perfect scenario for OSU, which found its worthy starter to go with a capable backup. I'm not sure how comfortable Day is, if the season began this week, with Kienholz being one play away from taking the field, but the QB position feels more secure than it did 48 hours ago.
'Lincoln settled down after the first drive or so. Made some nice throws,' Day said. 'But I thought Julian, for the most part, early on was in rhythm and moving the team down the field for a couple touchdowns, which was good.'
Sayin is definitely smooth and will make the routine plays routinely, which is priority No. 2 in Day's system (No. 1 is no turnovers). He appears to be everything OSU thought he would be when the Buckeyes snagged the former five-star Alabama recruit after he entered the portal following Nick Saban's retirement.
But he's small. Or smallish. And Day and OSU are not accustomed to starting QBs under 6-3. Will Howard is 6-4, as was Dwayne Haskins. Justin Fields, C.J. Stroud and Kyle McCord are 6-3.
Size matters. But how much?
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'When you're in the trees, you have to find passing lanes,' Day said, referencing offensive and defensive linemen who typically average between 6-4 and 6-5.
Sayin can scramble a bit but is not a vaunted runner. His calling card is his quick release and ability to read the field, maybe not as well as Stroud but well enough to keep the chains moving. Brian Hartline likely won't be calling as many quarterback keepers as Chip Kelly did for Howard last season, and you can forget about run-pass options (RPOs). But Saturday's small sample size showed a quarterback who should be good enough to win a lot of games.
'Does (Sayin's size) affect how we call plays? Not really,' Day said. 'There are certain things that are easier to do than others, but at the end of the day, there are a lot of guys his stature who are playing in the NFL and played a lot of high-level college football.'
Well, yes and no. In the NFL, there was Drew Brees and ...
Other similar-sized QBs, like Russell Wilson, typically excel, and escape trouble, with their legs. But height is not a make-or-breaker in college. A tall quarterback is preferable, but the list of Heisman-winning quarterbacks includes a who's who of runts, relatively speaking.
Is Julian Sayin tall enough to win big with the Buckeyes?
Bryce Young and Kyler Murray are 5-10, though they can run. Johnny Manziel is 6-0. Great in college. Stunk in the NFL. Baker Mayfield is listed at 6-1. Key word, 'listed.' Closer to home, Troy Smith comes in at 6-0, but we stood eye to eye when I interviewed him many moons ago. And I'm no 6-footer. Yet he won the 2006 Heisman with the Buckeyes.
'He (Sayin) certainly is tall enough, but you need to get your elbow up and play big,' Day said.
Ah, the crux of the matter. It's not only that Sayin is short(ish), but his throwing mechanics lean more Bernie Kosar (look him up, kids) than Payton Manning. It's not quite sidearm, but neither is it over the top.
'When you're not 6-4, you have to play big,' Day said. 'That means your elbow has to be above your shoulder. We're not allowed to get tipped balls (Sayin had one Saturday); that's part of the deal when you're a smaller quarterback.'
Sayin works with a netting device in practice that forces him to keep his elbow up, so expect him to improve his mechanics by fall. We shall see. But all things considered, Day has to feel more comfortable with Sayin than he did a week ago, when the QB looked only so-so during the 'student appreciation day' practice. Kienholz outplayed him that day, but not Saturday. This time, a surprisingly 'small' crowd of 40,136 – it's a theme! – saw OSU's future flash before their eyes. And it looked pretty good.
Sports columnist Rob Oller can be reached at roller@dispatch.com and on X.com at @rollerCD.
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