Miami HC Mario Cristobal Pays Major Compliment to Ohio State's Julian Sayin
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The first thing that jumps out on tape when you watch a team is its quarterback. Some of the traits jump off the screen, such as arm talent, accuracy, processing, or whatever other tangible traits you might see on the tape.
What can take some time to see are the intangibles that a quarterback possesses. How do they operate, can they make adjustments, and what happens when they face adversity? The answers to these questions mean so much more to the story of the quarterback than the former.
If you've watched the Buckeyes week after week, you know that the Buckeyes' quarterback, Julian Sayin, possesses all of these traits. The initial items aren't a surprise at all, but the intangible pieces are the ones that are really impressive for Sayin.
Julian is just 20 years old and is finishing up his first year as a starting quarterback. In that season, he completed almost 80 percent of his passes, threw for 3,323 yards, 31 touchdowns, and just six interceptions.
His most impressive traits have been the days when Ohio State has needed him to step up. I think back to the Penn State game when they were up only three points in the second half over the Nittany Lions, or the Rutgers game when he was down both of his starting wide receivers, or the Michigan game when it got off to a horrible start and responded in a huge way.
Miami head coach Mario Cristobal was asked about his thoughts on Sayin, and he spoke glowingly, giving the biggest compliment you could give an opponent.
“He does not look like a young guy playing the position. He looks like a guy that’s been there for a long time that has complete control of the offense.”
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That's a really hard thing to accomplish in any offense on any team at any level.
The first thing that a new quarterback needs to do is win the trust of his teammates. Once he does that, he has to work for the trust of his coaching staff, and then he gets to play football.
For Sayin, it's been a year of incredibly rapid growth. It started with the Buckeyes holding his hand through the Texas game and then letting him prove himself throughout the year. The kid that everyone watched in August against the Longhorns isn't even recognizable from the one that went toe to toe with the Indiana Hoosiers.
Is he perfect? No, not yet. But what he is is a guy that the Buckeyes can trust in big situations and can absolutely lead them to another long Playoff run.
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