• Historic levels of accuracy so far: Sayin’s 80% completion rate would be the best ever by a qualified college quarterback.

• Minimizing mistakes in his first year as a starter: Sayin has committed a turnover-worthy play on just 1.4% of his dropbacks this season.

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The Ohio State Buckeyes came into this season with plenty of questions regarding their ability to repeat as national champions. They had to replace both their offensive and defensive coordinators from last year’s coaching staff. Fourteen players, including eight defensive starters, were drafted into the NFL. There were several reasons that a potential repeat should have been an uphill battle for the Buckeyes.

The biggest question, though, was how redshirt freshman quarterback Julian Sayin would perform as he replaced veteran Will Howard, who finished last season with the 16th-best PFF grade in the country at 86.4. So far, Sayin has passed every test with flying colors.

As a top-10 recruit in what’s shaping out to be an incredible 2024 class, Sayin’s talent was never in doubt. He just needed to be able to handle the big stage. Sitting behind Howard and watching last year’s operation has clearly helped Sayin adjust on the fly, yet his production so far indicates a much better player than one just trying to figure things out.

On the surface, Sayin is already one of the best quarterbacks in the nation. While it should be mentioned that Ohio State also leads the country in PFF receiving grade due to elite talents like Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate, Sayin is making the right decisions and accurate throws at an elite rate.

Sayin currently paces all qualified quarterbacks with an 80% completion rate and an 85.5% adjusted completion rate. The former figure would reset a new FBS record for completion percentage, currently held by Bo Nix in 2023. The latter is currently tied with Nix’s 2023 mark for the PFF College record for adjusted completion percentage in a season. Sayin’s current average depth of target, 8.4 yards, is also significantly higher than Nix’s was that season, 6.8 yards.

PFF’s Quarterback Charting process is one that examines coverages, target separation and a passer’s ball placement on every targeted throw. Each throw to a targeted receiver is placed into one of four categories.

• Accurate-plus: A perfect throw into a tight window, a throw that leads a receiver perfectly into a yards-after-catch (YAC) opportunity, or a perfect throw placed away from the defense. 
• Accurate: On-frame throws that are well-placed and are either limited in their opportunity to create YAC or don’t quite lead a receiver in the same way that an Accurate-plus throw does.
• Catchable Inaccurate: Catchable passes within a receiver’s catch radius but not quite on frame. For example, a throw that a receiver has to dive for or on that is far enough over his head that he can’t get to it without jumping.
• Uncatchable Inaccurate: A clear miss from the quarterback that makes the throw uncatchable.

This process has been in place in full for all FBS quarterbacks since 2018. With a minimum of 150 chartable passes, only two quarterbacks in that span have led the FBS in their accuracy rates in multiple of these categories in a season — Joe Burrow in 2019 and Mac Jones in 2020.

Given a minimum of 60 chartable attempts this season, here is where Sayin ranks in each category through Week 8. A higher percentage is better in the first two categories, while lower is better for the final two.

Burrow and Jones topped the nation in two categories when they had their masterful final college seasons. NFL stars Bo Nix, Brock Purdy and C.J. Stroud came the closest to accomplishing similar feats. Sayin has been so accurate this season that he currently is No. 1 in three categories, and trails only Iowa State’s Rocco Becht in the percentage of throws deemed Accurate-plus.

Sayin’s production metrics display the most accurate quarterback in America. His ball placement has been unmatched this season and stands on par with former first-round picks and current NFL superstars. As evidenced by his 1.4% turnover-worthy play rate and 90.8 PFF passing grade beyond his first read, Sayin is also well beyond his years with regard to decision-making.

Ohio State is armed with the best receiving duo in college football and a defense that is allowing less than six points per game. Yet, the biggest reason the Buckeyes can repeat as national champions has been the stellar play of their Heisman Trophy candidate quarterback Sayin.