Julian Sayin let it fly.
During the third quarter of top-ranked Ohio State’s victory over Ohio last week, Sayin found superstar wide receiver Jeremiah Smith running deep over the middle of the field as he uncorked his pass.
The design of the play, motioning fellow receiver Carnell Tate into the backfield, pulled one of the safeties toward the line of scrimmage, leaving an opening in coverage for Smith to exploit as he emerged past cornerback Michael Mack II on the post route over the top.
Sayin’s pass, a high arching rainbow, landed in Smith’s hands as he fell into the south end zone at Ohio Stadium for a 47-yard score.
While it ignited a late touchdown barrage for the Buckeyes, it also revealed one of Sayin’s most noticeable areas of growth in recent weeks.
Since keeping Sayin on a leash while grinding out a win over Texas in their season opener, the Buckeyes have opened up the playbook for their redshirt freshman quarterback, letting him take shots downfield, where he has delivered throws that have showed a deep passing precision.
Sayin has completed each of his nine pass attempts traveling at least 20 yards through the air, all but one in the routs of Grambling State and Ohio over the past two weeks, according to data from Pro Football Focus. Among FBS quarterbacks, only Syracuse’s Steve Angeli has connected on more deep passes through three weeks.
Five of Sayin’s eight touchdown passes have resulted from completions gaining 40 or more yards.
It’s perhaps little surprise that Sayin has been able to launch throws of great distance. He was the top-ranked high school quarterback in the nation in his recruiting class in 2024. Analysts raved about his arm talent soon after he began starting at Carlsbad High School north of San Diego.
But the carryover has been swift, a result of factors that extend beyond the strength of his right arm.
“There’s a lot of things to take into consideration,” Buckeyes coach Ryan Day said. “We spend a lot of time talking about them, working them and making sure we’re on point, because we always say, when you take your shots, you’ve got to hit them. That separates the success of the offense.”
As Day reflected on a series of deep throws from his promising passer, helping them average 53.5 points and 611.5 yards in their past two wins, he praised both Sayin’s footwork and timing with receivers.
“It takes everything you have,” Day said, “so you have to have your feet in the ground to throw those balls. A big part is your footwork, how you’re hitching, and that certainly helps.”
Once set in the pocket, Sayin has displayed a touch on his throws that have kept him in sync with targets who have an ability to get downfield in a flash, stretching the field vertically.
“When you look at guys like Carnell and Jeremiah and some of the receivers we have,” Day sad, “they can cover so much distance in a short period of time. He does a nice job with the trajectory of his ball, because the more trajectory with the ball, the more margin for error you have.”
Day said Sayin lofted his 47-yard touchdown to Smith with enough height that it allowed the sophomore to adjust and maintain position over Mack, the cornerback who trailed him in coverage.
“When you put that ball in the air for him,” Day said, “he jumps up and he’s so big and strong that he can kind of shield the defender with his body.”
Day’s goal is for his starting quarterback to be “north of 50/50” on deep balls, a feat Sayin is reaching so far.
Joey Kaufman covers Ohio State football for The Columbus Dispatch. Email him at jkaufman@dispatch.com and follow along on Bluesky, Instagram and X for more.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State football quarterback Julian Sayin’s once hidden deep ball is coming alive
Reporting by Joey Kaufman, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
