Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin has emerged as a star for the Buckeyes this season. After spending last year as a backup for the team, he claimed the starting role this season and has helped lead the Buckeyes to another strong season. No. 1-ranked Ohio State will look to continue its undefeated season on Saturday against the Penn State Nittany Lions.
While Sayin has emerged as a star for Ohio State, he was not always a Buckeye. He was briefly a member of the Alabama Crimson Tide, beginning practice as an early enrollee in the 2023 season. However, in early 2024, he entered the transfer portal following head coach Nick Saban’s retirement.
Nick Saban is now part of the College GameDay panel. The broadcast team has been doing pregame coverage for Ohio State vs. Penn State all morning, and Nick Saban made an interesting comment. He brought up how Sayin was briefly a player for him.
“I think one point I’d like to make about Julian Sayin is he was at Alabama, and the coach at Alabama played him on the scout team for a whole year,” Nick Saban said. What a dumb*ss.”
“The coach at Alabama played [Julian Sayin] on the scout team for a whole year. What a dumbass.” 😭
Nick Saban with an all-timer 😂 pic.twitter.com/PFJ6UHDLZq
— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) November 1, 2025
If it is not clear, Saban is referring to himself in the clip. It was a lighthearted joke that made everyone on the panel laugh.
Julian Sayin Is One of the Heisman Trophy Favorites
Before the start of the season, there was a lot of uncertainty around the quarterback position for the Buckeyes. While the team had faith in Sayin, there was no guarantee that he would be able to lead a national championship-defending team to another great season.
Those worries no longer exist as Sayin has emerged as one of the top players in college football. He has completed 156 of 195 passing attempts this season for an incredible 80% completion rate. He has 1872 passing yards and 19 TDs while only throwing three interceptions. As a result, he has the second-best odds to win the Heisman at +400, according to FanDuel. He is only behind Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza.
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