Ohio State is led by one of the best signal-callers, according to a new survey from The Athletic.
As part of a story ranking all 138 FBS teams’ starting quarterbacks, The Athletic polled roughly three dozen coaches, general managers, personnel directors, scouts and other front office staffers.
Ohio State starting quarterback and junior Julian Sayin was ranked as the no. 5 quarterback in the country, slotting only behind Ole Miss’ Trinidad Chambliss, Oregon’s Dante Moore, Notre Dame’s CJ Carr and Darian Mensah of Miami (Fla.).
Sayin was one of eight quarterbacks to be included in the first tier of the list. The Athletic described Tier 1 quarterbacks as being, “The best of the best. They have a strong combination of proven production and elite traits and are among the Heisman Trophy frontrunners. Coaches want to build teams around them.”
It’s no surprise Sayin was included in the first tier of the rankings. In his first year as Ohio State’s starting quarterback, the Carlsbad, Calif.-native threw for 3,610 yards, 32 touchdowns and only eight interceptions while completing 77.0 percent of his passes. He was also one of four finalists for the Heisman Trophy.
According to Antonio Morales and Sam Khan Jr., who wrote the story for The Athletic, Sayin was one of the more polarizing quarterbacks on the list. One Big Ten general manager told The Athletic that Sayin was overrated and just a game manager. However, an ACC front office staffer had a differing opinion.
“I think people are criminally low on Sayin,” the unnamed staffer told The Athletic. “I think Sayin is a top-two or -three quarterback, and anyone else who doesn’t have him there is wrong.”
Sayin was criticized by some for having a somewhat disappointing postseason. In losses to Indiana and Miami (Fla.), Sayin threw three interceptions and was sacked ten times between the two games.
However, Sayin’s offensive line, which was riddled with injuries by the time the Buckeyes played in the postseason, didn’t do him many favors in the losses.
Sayin and the rest of the Buckeyes will be back in action on September 5, when his team takes on Ball State.
