Ohio State head coach Ryan Day wasted no time applying some serious pressure to quarterback Julian Sayin
Ohio State Buckeyes' head coach Ryan Day applied some serious pressure on day one of the program's spring football season.
It's been over three long months of the Buckeyes having to sit with the disgusting taste of the loss to Miami in their mouths. As a matter of fact, the last time they won a football game was against the Michigan Wolverines on Nov 29, 2025.
That is over 102 days since the Buckeyes were on the correct side of an outcome.
The two losses that ended Ohio State's season could be blamed on the play of their quarterback, Julian Sayin.
The Buckeyes were only able to muster up 10 points against the Indiana Hoosiers and only 14 points against the Miami Hurricanes. Furthermore, Sayin gave the 'Canes seven points with a plus-side pick-six that really changed the momentum of the college football playoff game.
Now, heading into year two, his head coach, Ryan Day, wasted no time applying the pressure to the young star.
On Tuesday, Day said that Sayin needs to make more plays with his legs. He furthered it by saying that it is the "X-factor" and it "has to show up this year."
Day never minces words, and he is very calculated when it comes to his approach to the media. Also, he is very fair, so you can guarantee that anything that is said to a microphone is said to the team or the player.
Sayin simply has to be better this season.
It is no surprise that statistically, he was one of the best quarterbacks in America in 2025, but context matters. First, the Buckeyes' Big Ten schedule wasn't serious at all. After they played Texas in Week 2, they didn't play another worthy opponent until the final week of the regular season.
In that game against Michigan, Sayin got off to a slow start by throwing an interception on his second pass before settling in.
His struggles against Indiana and Miami don't need explaining.
What he did at the end of the season last year was enough to let doubt creep into the fanbase and into his head coach's mind about his ability to go out there and win games against the best competition.
2026 is going to be a battle from game two until hopefully the end of January. If the Buckeyes want to get back to the top of the mountain, they need Sayin to take a major step in his development.
He knows it, and now the head coach has made sure the world knows it, too.
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