Week 1 of the college football season delivers a tremendous quarterback showdown between Ohio State’s Julian Sayin and Texas’ Arch Manning. The Buckeyes named Sayin their starter Monday, bringing an end to a lengthy and tight position battle between him, Lincoln Kienholz and Tavien St. Clair. With the clarity at Ohio State finalizing the matchup between a pair of former five-star recruits in the season-opening showdown with Texas, Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian offered an initial scouting report on his Week 1 opponent.
Sarkisian is quite familiar with Sayin. He extended a scholarship offer to the former No. 20 overall recruit just months into his Texas tenure and pursued him up to his commitment to Alabama. Sayin, of course, lasted just a few weeks in Tuscaloosa before he transferred to Ohio State as a true freshman.
“Ton of respect for Julian,” Sarkisian said. “We recruited him hard here. He was a very gifted passer, really good player. Came to camp with us, I think, two years in a row. We got a lot of familiarity with him. Obviously a California kid, his high school coach and whatnot. Very good player. Elite passer. Very good arm talent. Very quick release. Really accurate guy. Obviously he’s got great weapons around him. He’s the type of guy that can utilize those weapons in a good system. So it poses a heck of a challenge.”
Ohio State names Julian Sayin starting quarterback: Former five-star to lead Buckeyes in 2025 opener vs. Texas
Cody Nagel
Sayin appeared in four games during his freshman campaign but did not see meaningful playing time. He completed five of 12 passes for 84 yards and a touchdown in late-game duties and added two carries for 24 yards.
“You see the traits. You see the accuracy. You see the ball getting out of his hand quickly,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said. “He can fit the ball into tight spaces when he needs to. He has a good feel for the pocket. All of those things are areas we recognized that he’s taken steps forward toward during the preseason.”
The clash between Sayin and Manning will be the highest-profile quarterback showdown of college football’s opening week. Both are first-time starters with elite recruiting pedigree. And they play for two of the best teams in the nation, both of which have national championship aspirations. Sayin is tasked with defending the Buckeyes’ title from a year ago, which he won in a backup role behind Will Howard.
Texas’ defense poses a hefty challenge for Sayin. It is far from a cushy landing spot for his first career landing spot considering the presence of Preseason All-Americans Colin Simmons and Anthony Hill Jr.
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