Then vs. Now: Comparing Julian Sayin to C.J. Stroud at Ohio State

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As preseason camp begins this week, Land-Grant Holy Land is diving into its final theme every week of the off-season. This week is all about taking stock of where the Buckeyes are compared to where they were. You can catch up on all of the Theme Week content here and all of our ”Then vs. Now” articles here.

There was a lot of uncertainty surrounding Julian Sayin going into the 2025 season. The talent and the weapons around him were there, but how exactly would Sayin perform in his first year as Ohio State’s starting quarterback?

Sayin delivered even more than we could have hoped, completing 77 percent of his passes for 3,610 yards and 32 touchdowns to just eight interceptions.

Completing close to 80 percent of your passes is tough to do, even as college football has evolved toward spread offenses and the use of five wide receivers. Sayin’s completion percentage led all of FBS, and his 301 completions led the Big Ten.

Yes, he had Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate to throw to, but Sayin showed what he’s capable of in 2025. He had six games with 300+ passing yards and six games with three+ touchdown passes. Those are performances that can make you believe in Sayin. Not to mention, he had five games completing at least 80 percent of his passes.

What Sayin did in his first season as a starter reminds me of C.J. Stroud.

Like Sayin, Stroud came into a very prosperous offensive situation in 2021. The Buckeyes’ receivers were Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave and Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Sure, any quarterback could come in and work with those players. Still, the quarterback has to deliver.

Stroud did just that in 2021, completing 71.9 percent of his passes for 4,435 yards and 44 touchdowns, with only six interceptions. Stroud had nine games with 300+ passing yards, including in each of the Buckeyes’ six games. He had five games with 400+ passing yards, two with 450+ yards, and he threw for 573 yards in the Rose Bowl win over Utah.

More impressively, he had six games completing at least 70 percent of his passes, three games completing at least 80 percent, and he completed 91.4 percent of his passes in a top-10 matchup against Michigan State. Five times, Stroud threw for at least five touchdown passes.

Honestly, I forgot how great Stroud was that season. 

Stroud was the Big Ten’s Offensive Player of the Year in both 2021 and 2022. His numbers dipped a little bit in 2022, but he still had six games throwing for 300+ yards and seven games with four+ touchdown passes.

One of Stroud’s best performances was against Georgia in the College Football Playoff Semifinals, when he threw for 348 yards and four touchdowns without an interception. Four times, Stroud completed 70 percent or more of his passes, with a season-high of 81.5 against Toledo. 

But another reason, in addition to accuracy, prolificness, and touchdown passes, that I think of Stroud when I think of Sayin is the fact that both quarterbacks weren’t great at running.

Stroud rushed for just 136 yards in his Buckeyes’ career, and he actually rushed for -20 yards in 2021. He was a little better in 2022, with 47 rush attempts for 108 yards. 

Sayin rushed for -44 yards on 42 carries last year. Not great, obviously. Maybe he unlocks that part of his game this season. It’d be great if he did. But Sayin is still a really good quarterback despite not being great at running the football. Stroud was the same way.

Both quarterbacks are incredibly accurate and prolific. Sayin is going to be better this season. He’s had a year to show what he can do, but there are areas of his game where he can improve. He knows that, and Ryan Day knows that.

The hope is that with a better running game in 2026, Sayin will be more prolific as a runner than he was last year. Like Stroud, Sayin will likely be a high draft pick when he goes pro. Accuracy is a big thing for a college football and NFL quarterback.

Like Stroud, Sayin has both of those.

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