As we get closer and closer to the start of the 2026 college football season, we continue to keep an eye on what the national media says about Ohio State, and one of the guys we love to follow here is Fox College Football’s Joel Klatt.
He has his own podcast that his team also produces in video format on YouTube, and he’s a great follow both during the season and throughout the offseason for great analysis, commentary, and unbiased thoughts. Klatt recently dropped a video of what he believes are his top ten quarterbacks entering the 2026 season, and with Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin coming back for his redshirt sophomore season to build on a fantastic freshman campaign, you had to believe Klatt would include the California native somewhere in that list.
Sayin was indeed in the list, checking in at No. 3 according to Klatt’s opinion, with only Dante Moore of Oregon and Texas’ Arch Manning checking in ahead of the OSU signal-caller. We all know how quick of a release Sayin has with pinpoint accuracy, but Klatt believes there are a couple of areas where he can improve.
“There were really just two things that held Julian Sayin back a year ago,” Klatt said. “… He was at times a little bit hesitant to let it rip down the field. There were multiple times where I’d be watching film in preparation for games, and I’d pause the film and be like, ‘The throw is there. He’s got to take that shot.’ ”
Klatt also noted Sayin’s struggles in short-yardage, something that cost Ohio State against Indiana in the Big Ten Championship Game.
“[Sayin] struggled on the quarterback sneak,” Klatt said. “It hurt them in general offensively because they weren’t great in short yardage. … I have heard and seen that Julian has done a ton of work in the weight room, and he’s a little bit bigger. So if he can just be proficient in the sneak game, in particular in short yardage, that will help the entirety of the offense.”
Sayin led the nation by completing 77% of his passes last year, but wasn’t as proficient in the postseason as Indiana and Miami devised a game plan to get pressure to him sooner, often resulting in sacks or rushed throws that seemed to speed up Sayin’s progression and result in rushed and inaccurate throws.
“If he lets it rip, man, he’s going to have a huge, huge season,” Klatt said. “That could be one of, if not the best, offenses in the country at Ohio State.”
We can’t really disagree with Klatt here. However, if the right side of the offensive line can be better this year when all the chips are down, and if Sayin can be more effective using his legs in key situations, then this could be one whale of a season for Ohio State and Sayin.
Here’s a look at the entire top ten quarterbacks entering 2026, according to Klatt. You can also watch and listen to the episode on his Joel Klatt Show podcast to get all of the analysis surrounding each pick.
- Dante Moore, Oregon
- Arch Manning, Texas
- Julian Sayin, Ohio State
- Trinidad Chambliss, Ole Miss
- CJ Carr, Notre Dame
- John Mateer, Oklahoma
- Jayden Maiava, USC
- Darian Mensah, Miami
- Josh Hoover, Indiana
- Sam Leavitt, LSU
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This article originally appeared on Buckeyes Wire: Joel Klatt names his top ten 2026 quarterbacks. Where is Julian Sayin?
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