Chris Huston (00:01.361)
All right, Julian Sayin, Ohio State, redshirt freshman quarterback. Thanks for coming on the Heisman Trophy Podcast.

Julian Sayin (00:07.64)
Thanks for having me on, excited to be here.

Chris Huston (00:10.131)
Julian, you're in your first year as a starting quarterback for the Buckeyes. After spending last year as a backup, you obviously got a different perspective on things now that you're the starter, but how would you compare this year's team so far with last year's squad, the squad that stumbled a couple of times during the season, but pulled it together during the playoff?

Julian Sayin (00:28.226)
Yeah, I think last year's team, you know, they had a lot of veterans, so it's definitely a different team than last year. We're a pretty young team this year. We're still growing every week and trying to get better. I feel like, you know, the guys on this year's team took so much from last year's team, just that leadership roles they had. you know, being in the room with Will Howard last year, it was awesome to see the leadership and, you know, took so many things from him. So I think, you know, the guys on this year's team, we're a younger team, but we took a lot from last year's team in those, you know, veteran roles.

Chris Huston (00:57.257)
Julian, I was at the game versus Texas when you had your first start and something stood out about you right away. And that was not just your accuracy, but your ball placement. were 13 of 20 in that game. And I think there were two or three drops in there. So just looking at the box core generally tell the whole story. But I remember telling a friend of mine halfway through the game that you were the most accurate passer in college football. And my friend said, how can you say that after just one game? And I said, because it's true. And then the next week you were 18 of 19 and they didn't question me again on it, but.

You know, lot of quarterbacks these days have high completion percentages because there's odds of easy short throws that are just like long handoffs. But to me, it's the consistency on your ball placement that separates you. And I'm curious what your method was to help develop that ability.

Julian Sayin (01:40.046)
Yeah, I think growing up I've always been an accurate passer. But it takes a lot of work and practice and being on the same timing with the receivers and the off to the line, protecting up front and then being able to see the receivers break and anticipate the window. And obviously they got to make contested catches as well, which will only boost the completion percentage. I think it's a lot of things that factor into that. But I think just the practice and the reps and the timing of it, getting on the same page with the guys.

Chris Huston (02:07.365)
Mm-hmm. You know, when I play darts, I need to throw into a small window. And one thing I do is I use my eyes and I kind of design a larger window out of other shapes and colors surrounding the target. And that kind of helps me get the dart into the right area. Is that kind of similar to how you do it? Like, you, did you start out trying to aim the certain, you know, sector of, of the, you know, of the, the receiver is? Does that help you?

Julian Sayin (02:30.444)
Yeah, I think last year, Coach Chip Kelly, we always talked about, you gotta be able to see small and then see big also. You gotta be able to see the whole picture, but then also really kinda laser focus on the window you wanna throw it in and exactly where you wanna put the ball. So that's something that I try to focus on.

Chris Huston (02:37.875)
Mm-hmm.

Chris Huston (02:49.021)
You didn't complete this high of a percentage in high school. Are you that much better now or does college football just come easier than you thought?

Julian Sayin (02:55.574)
I think it's a combination of things. We have some really good players here at Ohio State, so think the receivers are always making the best of catches. The offensive line is doing a great job of protection. And I think my understanding of the game is just growing a little bit more just because of the coaching that I've gotten here at Ohio State. And it's only going to continue to grow. still trying to develop that area.

Chris Huston (03:12.361)
Mm-hmm.

Chris Huston (03:16.423)
Back to the Texas game, seemed like the offense was a bit buttoned up in that one. Things have since opened up a bit. Was that a product of the opponent and wanting to play close to the vest or was it about bringing you along slowly in that game?

Julian Sayin (03:28.238)
Yeah, think Texas is what they were a defense that they were trying to keep things in front of them. And then also, was definitely my first start. So I think we were just a little bit trying to take things a little bit slowly. And I think we executed as an offense in the run game at some good things. So I think it was kind of a byproduct of both things.

Chris Huston (03:51.645)
You didn't seem very nervous. Did you feel nervous going out there?

Julian Sayin (03:56.089)
There was definitely some nerves before the game, once you get kind of tackled that first time, you start to lose the nerves and you just go play football.

Chris Huston (04:04.676)
Yeah, you're now looking very comfortable running the offense. Your accuracy on deep balls is off the charts. You can throw it on the run or on the pocket. What's an area where you think there is still room for improvement, not only for you, but for the offense as a whole?

Julian Sayin (04:16.598)
Yeah, think there's still a bunch of room for me to grow. think in my protection game, my pocket presence, can I slide and be able to get to my fourth progression? And then I think just overall, just my understanding of the game. And there's still so many areas that I want to keep getting better at and keep growing and keep developing.

Chris Huston (04:39.378)
Going back to the beginning, when did you first start gravitating toward football and playing quarterback?

Julian Sayin (04:45.014)
Yeah, I think growing up, maybe around like seven or eight years old, my brother, he's two years older than me. So he was playing quarterback and kind of always just kind of just following in his footsteps and I was playing quarterback myself and just developed that love for the game and I really just didn't want to ever stop playing football. So I think that kind of love for the game just developed when I was growing up with my brother and we were always competing playing quarterback.

Chris Huston (05:11.41)
Did you play any other sports growing up?

Julian Sayin (05:14.226)
I didn't really, you know, I played basketball and lacrosse a little bit, but it wasn't, you know, I wasn't like a serious sports. Once I kind of got through seventh and eighth grade, I stopped playing and just continued on football.

Chris Huston (05:25.768)
It's always great to have an older brother to compete against. What kind of things do you guys do to compete against each other when you were kids?

Julian Sayin (05:32.206)
We competed in everything. Whether it was NCAA 14 or if we out on the football field, were competing and seeing who could throw the ball better, who could throw it. When I was a freshman in high school, he was a senior. I was the backup and he was the starter on varsity. We had so much fun in practice just competing.

Chris Huston (05:54.461)
Nice. Who did you look to as a quarterback role model growing up? Was it your brother or was it somebody else?

Julian Sayin (06:00.141)
Yeah, I think my brother was definitely someone who I looked up to. then in the NFL, growing up, I was kind of growing up watching the area of Eli Manning, Aaron Rodgers, Ben Roethlisberger, Tom Brady. So that was kind of my era growing up. And I'm a Chargers fan, so I was also a Philip Rivers fan. growing up, those are kind of the guys I watched.

Chris Huston (06:21.266)
Did you follow college football at all at that point? Did you have a favorite team?

Julian Sayin (06:25.858)
Growing up, my guy was Marcus Mariota. Growing up on the West Coast, Oregon was big, and the uniforms, and having a guy like Marcus, who could really be a dynamic player, that was kind of the team growing up when I was younger.

Chris Huston (06:43.036)
You got your first scholarship offer in eighth grade and there was a lot of teams going after you. Tell me about that recruiting process and how you ended up finally going with Alabama.

Julian Sayin (06:51.574)
Yeah, I was blessed to be able to be recruited by some great schools. I was kind of looking at when I finally come down to it, I was looking at like Alabama and Georgia and a little bit of LSU too. And I think just growing up, I wanted to go play in the highest level of football possible. So that was kind of gravitated me towards those schools. And then I wanted to go play for someone like Coach Saban.

So I think that's kind of what ultimately made my decision to go to Alabama.

Chris Huston (07:22.47)
Yeah, of course, not long after getting there, he retired. Describe to me what went through your mind when that happened and how you ended up deciding on Ohio State.

Julian Sayin (07:31.128)
Yeah, it was definitely a crazy time when he retired and I just felt like it was my best decision to enter the transfer portal. And when I was in the portal, I decided on Ohio State because of, I think the quarterback pedigree that Coach Day has had there, the development that he has, and then just the talent level. And you see the receiver room, see.

everything they have here, they're trying to be the best in the world at what they do.

Chris Huston (08:01.232)
You're a Southern California kid who has spent time now in Alabama and now Ohio. What's it been like adjusting to not only the different weather, but also the different lifestyle that these other states have to offer?

Julian Sayin (08:11.969)
Yeah, California and Ohio are definitely a little bit different. We just got some snow today actually in Ohio. But you know, it's definitely different, you know, I'm growing to really love it here and the people here are really special.

Chris Huston (08:16.647)
Yeah.

Chris Huston (08:25.276)
Have you played at any cold temperatures so far? I can't remember what the last few games how cold it was, but but have you really faced the really cold weather yet?

Julian Sayin (08:33.805)
This season we've been getting some pretty good weather for the past games. Last year we had Tennessee game was really cold. There were some cold games last year and just developing or kind of acclimating to that weather and getting to see it in practice and preparing.

Chris Huston (08:50.844)
Does the ball float much differently for you in the cold?

Julian Sayin (08:54.543)
I don't think it does. I'm trying to get acclimated and work through it in practice so in the game, you're money.

Chris Huston (09:03.26)
Yeah, waiting at the end of the season is the big game against Michigan. How much has that a robbery come to mean to you in the short time you've been in Columbus?

Julian Sayin (09:11.693)
Yeah, I think you see the robbery and how much it means to the people in this state and the people in this city. It's definitely something that I know how important it is and we're.

Chris Huston (09:24.744)
Ohio State is pushing not only you, but Jeremiah Smith for the Heisman. Jeremiah was on the show earlier this year, so we've now had both Buckeye Heisman candidates on. What did you think when you first started hearing your name associated with the Heisman?

Julian Sayin (09:37.975)
Yeah, it was great honor. We're focused on winning more games and team success, but it was definitely a great honor. And it's awesome to see a guy like Jeremiah, who's a really special player and deserving of all the accolades too.

Chris Huston (09:53.801)
The last Buckeye to win it was Troy Smith in 2006 and of course Archie Griffin this year celebrates the 50th anniversary of his second Heisman. What kind of relationship, if any, have he had with some of these Buckeye legends?

Julian Sayin (10:05.539)
Yeah, I've been able to talk to Troy Smith in the off season, being number 10 like him. So I was able to talk to him in the off season and he's a great dude and awesome person and awesome mentor.

Chris Huston (10:18.152)
Have you ever been to New York City before?

Julian Sayin (10:20.591)
I had when I was younger, growing up. I went there for Christmas a couple years. It's pretty special in December.

Chris Huston (10:27.078)
What would it mean for you personally to make it there as a finalist at least?

Julian Sayin (10:31.087)
It would be an extremely great honor. mean, growing up, that was what she dreamed of. Seeing guys like Marcus Mariota and other guys up there for the award, it's definitely a really special honor and it would be a dream come true.

Chris Huston (10:46.536)
All right, let's do a few rapid fire questions to close us out. What's your favorite part about playing quarterback?

Julian Sayin (10:51.98)
Favorite part about playing quarterback is I think you just have the most impact on the game.

Chris Huston (10:56.69)
What's your favorite pregame hype song?

Julian Sayin (10:59.695)
pregame hype song. I don't really get too hyped up. I'd say I'll go Seven Summers by Morgan Wong. I kind of try to keep it chill.

Chris Huston (11:07.208)
All right, who's your dream dinner guest, past or present?

Julian Sayin (11:12.117)
I'd probably say Michael Jordan, just the competitive edge that he has.

Chris Huston (11:17.788)
What's one word your friends would use to describe you?

Julian Sayin (11:21.711)
I think routine based.

Chris Huston (11:25.958)
If football didn't exist, what do you think you'd be doing right now?

Julian Sayin (11:30.095)
That's tough. I'd probably be at the beach in California doing something.

Chris Huston (11:37.0)
Nice do you have any superstitions on or off the field?

Julian Sayin (11:40.779)
I don't know. Some people, a lot of people that I've played football with kind of grown up have superstitions. I don't really have any.

Chris Huston (11:48.392)
Okay, who's your most competitive teammate besides you?

Julian Sayin (11:52.749)
Competitive teammates. You know, I think we have some really competitive teammates. I think Jeremiah is a really competitive guy. You he wants to win in everything he does.

Chris Huston (12:00.455)
Yeah. What's your favorite part about living in Columbus?

Julian Sayin (12:04.271)
I think, you know, it's a really good city. There's a lot of good food here, a lot of things to do. I didn't really anticipate that when I was first coming here. I'd never been here. So it's a good city.

Chris Huston (12:18.022)
Were you anonymous last year walking around, going when you were a retro freshman? Yeah. Yeah. And now those days are over, right? You pretty much can't go anywhere,

Julian Sayin (12:22.401)
Yeah, yeah.

Julian Sayin (12:26.965)
Yeah, yeah, not as bad as like Jeremiah. Jeremiah definitely can't go anywhere, but yeah.

Chris Huston (12:30.856)
Yeah, he's pretty popular. When you go home to California, what's the first meal you ask for?

Julian Sayin (12:38.543)
I go breakfast burrito when I go home and then you know like tacos really the Mexican food back home is seconded on.

Chris Huston (12:48.782)
Absolutely. And finally, what's a talent you have that few people know about?

Julian Sayin (12:54.223)
I mean, before I got here, like when I got here, nobody really knew that, you know, like I go on the water, I boogie board surf. nobody really knew that about me until I got here. So.

Chris Huston (13:05.754)
I think that's expected if you're from Southern California, especially around Carlsbad area.

Julian Sayin (13:08.119)
Yeah, yeah, like people were asking me at first, they were like, so like, you like get like you've been in the ocean? I was like, yeah, like I haven't I was in there like every day growing up. Yeah, yeah.

Chris Huston (13:15.208)
well, Julian Sayin good luck against UCLA this Saturday. Thanks for coming on the show. Good luck the rest of season and maybe if all goes right, we'll see you New York.

Julian Sayin (13:29.433)
Thank you, appreciate it.