On Monday, No. 3 Ohio State named QB Julian Sayin as its starter after winning their quarterback battle coming into this season. However, despite that nod, Joel Klatt expects him to continue to be a work in progress, especially early considering what he’ll be facing in his first collegiate start. Klatt discussed the Buckeyes’ selection […]
On Monday, No. 3 Ohio State named QB Julian Sayin as its starter after winning their quarterback battle coming into this season. However, despite that nod, Joel Klatt expects him to continue to be a work in progress, especially early considering what he’ll be facing in his first collegiate start.
Klatt discussed the Buckeyes’ selection of Sayin during his show on Wednesday. He thinks this is naturally going to take time for the redshirt freshman.
“I want to sit on Julian Sayin, because he’s got the biggest challenge out of the gate,” said Klatt. “Will there be growing pains with Sayin? Yeah, absolutely. There’s no doubt. This is not going to be perfect…Will it be smooth? I don’t know. I don’t know.”
This is mostly due to Sayin’s debut this season being in a top-three matchup next weekend against No. 1 Texas in The ‘Shoe. The Longhorns’ defense gave the Buckeyes’ offense, which had more talent and experience on it overall, issues at points during their semifinal meeting in the College Football Playoff back in January. Now, seven and a half months later, they’ll be even more challenging for a first-time starter in Sayin to have to deal with.
“He certainly has talent around him. There’s no doubt. But think about what he’s going to be facing in his very first start. Big deal for him is it’s at home, good thing for him it’s at home. He’s going to be facing the number one team in the country in the preseason, with Arch Manning and the Texas Longhorns coming into Columbus. That’s going to be a huge task. And not just because it’s Arch and Texas across from him but it’s, more specifically, the Texas defense,” said Klatt. “I’ve been saying this all offseason long. I think Texas’ defense could be the best defense in college football. They’ve got three Preseason All-Americans on that defense. They were excellent a year ago. They’re going to be outstanding this year.”
“Think about what they were able to do, through schematics and talent, last year in the semifinal against Ohio State. They held Jeremiah Smith to one catch for three yards…I’ve gone back in preparation and watched that game a few different times this offseason on the coaches film? Ohio State did very little offensively after the first possession, when they went down and scored a touchdown. They had the screen pass from TreVeyon Henderson, inside of 30 seconds before the half. And, outside of that? Guys, they didn’t do much that night against that Texas defense,” Klatt continued. “Now you don’t have Henderson, you don’t have (Quinshon) Judkins, you don’t have Emeka Egbuka. And, more importantly, Julian Sayin is going to be starting his very first game. I think that that’s going to be incredibly difficult.”
Because of that, Klatt thinks Ohio State is taking the right approach into this opener with Sayin. Against that defense, Sayin doesn’t need to try too much, as he thinks he’s very likely to make mistakes regardless, with the Buckeyes only needing enough from him just to win.
“It begs the question, what is he going to be asked to do? Well, I don’t think that he’s got to go play hero ball. And, reading some of the comments after Ryan Day named him the starting quarterback, from Coach Day, I thought (they) were absolutely accurate, which is all we’re looking for is a win,” said Klatt. “This is not about perfection from a young quarterback. This is not about looking like a Heisman Trophy winner. This is not about going out there and putting some polished product out there. Now, do you want to be as polished as you possibly can? Absolutely. But, you’ve got to understand, for a young quarterback? Even when quarterbacks play well in their first start, there are mistakes. There are giant mistakes.”
“I’m just saying, like, there’s going to be growing pains. What is he going to be asked to do? Just win. Win by a point,” said Klatt. “Find the open guy. Operate the offense. It’s simplicity over perfection for Julian Sayin in week one against Texas. I think that’s what he’s going to be asked to do.”
That’s despite what Klatt thinks overall of Sayin, the former Five-Star+ recruit who was the No. 2 QB in his recruiting class. He does see talent there, but talent that’s going to need to gain experience over the course of the fall rather than be completely ready from the first snap next weekend.
“When I’ve seen him play, the talent jumps off the field,” Klatt noted. “He spins the ball incredibly well. He’s accurate, he’s competent. I think that he does flash some athleticism – it’s not great and it’s not game-changing but it’s there for the ability to elude and maybe pick up a first down with his feet. But, again, this is about his passing acumen.”
In the premier game of week one, a lot will be asked and expected of Sayin as Ohio State’s QB1. Klatt can only imagine where he stands because of that, with him ready to see live how he’ll respond to that with his play on FOX on August 30th.
“I can’t imagine. I mean, I thought it was big playing as an underdog against an in-state rival that was ranked – and, yeah, it was probably a big game. But, against Texas? Texas-Ohio State as his first start? Woo,” admitted Klatt. “I’ll tell you what. I wonder what we’ll be ‘sayin” about Julian after this.”
Category: General Sports
