Why Julian Sayin Is Ohio State’s Most Unassuming Superstar Quarterback

Julian Sayin’s family group chat is exploding.

A video of Sayin went viral after one of his classmates recorded him presenting during the discussion portion of an online sports marketing class in the first week of school. Students were asked to report their health habits. Instead of identifying himself as Ohio State’s starting quarterback or a Heisman Trophy candidate, Sayin kept it as low-key as possible.

He tried to be a normal college student.

“My name is Julian Sayin, I just prefer Julian,” he began. “My main job is the sports industry. I wouldn’t say I want to change much about my physical activity – I feel like I have a pretty good routine, I’m pretty active, I play sports. And one interesting thing about me is that I like to play golf and I like to play pickleball.”

The video quickly went viral on social media, partly because of how casual Julian was, but his family weren’t surprised by it.

“It’s very Julian,” his older brother, Aidan Sayin, told me with a laugh. “He won’t give you too many details, but just be humble and to the point. We all had a good laugh.

“The ‘I prefer Julian’ line was hilarious, but that’s just him. We joke that (his humor is) similar to Larry David. We always watch ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ and say he’s doing the same character.”

Julian’s egoless personality might be the opposite of what you’d expect from someone at the center of the college football universe. He tries to fly under the radar and never tells anyone who he is unless they already know. Fans loved the video and many flooded the comments section of the post on social media.

“The video itself pretty much sums it up,” Aidan said. “He doesn’t mind the limelight. To be honest, he doesn’t even like it. Whenever we’re out in Columbus, he has his hat on, his head down, and he just wants to get his açai bowl.”

Julian has been like this for as long as those closest to him can remember. It’s part of what makes him so effective on the field.

He’ll need to maintain that level as he enters his second season as the starter at Ohio State, where a roster loaded with talent is chasing its second national championship in three years. The top-ranked Buckeyes have a challenging schedule ahead of them with their first major test coming Saturday when they visit Arch Manning and No. 5 Texas in one of the biggest games on the week two slate.

‘It has always come from within’

Julian is the baby in a high-achieving family. He is the starting center back on the team no. 1 in the nation and is the front-runner to win the Heisman after finishing fourth last season. But he is trying to be as complete as his three older siblings.

“I think he was always kind of wild and trying to follow,” Sayin’s mother, Karen Brandenburg, told me. “I don’t know how to describe it — it’s kind of like, ‘Don’t think you’re all that.’

Julian’s older sister, Bailey, played soccer at the University of Chicago before attending the Cambridge School of Art in England. His sister Jocelyn attended the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, where she earned a degree in data analytics. After returning to the United States, Jocelyn took an interest in her younger brother’s career, joining him on several college visits to LSU and Ole Miss. Now, along with their mother, Jocelyn helps manage Julian’s NIL deals and marketing. She also received a master’s degree in sports management from Ohio State and is pursuing her Ph.D.

Aidan played football at the University of Pennsylvania, where he graduated with honors from Wharton. He went on to play for the UFL’s Columbus Aviators and is now considering continuing his soccer career in Japan or Europe.

When asked if the family she and her husband, Dan, created while raising children influenced their ambitions, Brandenburg paused for a moment. She is type A; Dan is calmer. Maybe, she thought, it started with Bailey, who from a young age was determined to play on the best football teams. This move may have trickled down to the rest of the siblings.

“I don’t know,” said Brandenburg. “But it always came from within. We didn’t have to push. We never had to say, ‘You have to go to practice.’ They just looked for things on their own, which made parenting really easy. We’ve been really lucky that they push each other.”

With success comes praise, and the Sayin kids aren’t particularly comfortable with compliments or being celebrated. When Jocelyn was finishing her master’s program, Brandenburg suggested that they attend her graduation. Her daughter shot back, “No, no. When I get my doctorate, we’re going to graduation.”

Julian is much the same way. The only feedback he really wants to hear — positive or negative — comes from his coaches and teammates. Even an email from an Ohio State fan in Dayton who just wanted to tell Julian he played great didn’t sit well.

‘On the Other’

Thadd MacNeal — who coached Julian and Aidan at Carlsbad High School outside San Diego and is close to the Sayin family — was at Ohio State’s 38-14 win over Penn State last year and sat out the postgame press conference. He recalls reporters asking Julian about his passing percentage — 87% on a near-perfect 20-of-23 passing — in addition to his 316 yards and four touchdowns.

“And he literally said, ‘Well, it’s because I have great defense, because my receivers catch every ball and they’re very productive,'” MacNeal told me. “He’s always reaching out to other people. That’s just the way he does it.”

When Julian won the Elite 11 — a top high school quarterback competition — in June 2023, his mom wanted to take him out to dinner. He had beat Dylan Raiolathe top-rated quarterback recruit in the class of 2024 at the time. But Julian refused. There was a tournament about 30 minutes away, and he wanted to go play in it.

This story came up during one of Julian’s visits to Alabama while he and his family were sitting in Nick Saban’s office. Julian enrolled at Alabama in early January 2024, but on his first day of classes, Saban announced his retirement, prompting the quarterback to enter the transfer portal and head to Columbus.

“Nick (Saban) said, ‘Hey, I heard you won the Elite 11,'” Brandenburg recalled. “And Julian was like, ‘Yeah.’ And I said, ‘I tried to take him out to dinner and party.’

“Nick just looked at Julian and Julian goes, ‘Move on to the next thing.’ And Nick Saban says, ‘Yeah, that’s one thing. On to the next one.’

That attitude, Brandenburg said, is part of what makes Julia different.

“I don’t know what made him like that,” Brandenburg added. “But it’s good. It also keeps us grounded. It’s always the other thing.

“I’m really trying to learn from him.”

‘Quiet and closed’

These traits serve Julian well on the field. He is calm in big moments and doesn’t let the scene get too big.

He’s already off to a fast start this season, completing 21-of-25 passes for 320 yards and three touchdowns before exiting midway through the third quarter in Ball State’s 56-3 season opener at Ohio State. Julian also scored his first collegiate career rushing touchdown on fourth down and made it 21-0 early in the second quarter.

“He seems even more relaxed and confident this year,” Brandenburg said. “He is very quiet and closed.”

Last year, his first as a starter at Ohio State, Julian completed 77% of his passes and averaged 27.9 attempts per game, the best mark in the country. He threw for 3,610 yards with 32 touchdowns and eight interceptions, leading the Buckeyes to a 12-2 record and impressive wins over Texas and Michigan. They lost to eventual national champion Indiana in the Big Ten title game and runner-up Miami in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals.

A year ago, Julian played in four games as Will Howard’s backup, completing 5-of-12 passes with a touchdown on an Ohio State team that eventually won the national championship.

These experiences have helped Julian grow and develop into an even better player. Having transformed his body over the offseason, he’s stronger, more prepared, and Ohio State coach Ryan Day said this summer at Big Ten Media Days that he’s keeping himself with “a different look in his eye.”

Even Buckeyes center Carson Hinzman has seen it.

“I mean, that guy can roll right now,” Hinzman told reporters last month. “When he talks in the huddle, the confidence he has. Being able to shut the ball down, you literally hear him whistling in your ear and that gives us confidence to have a quarterback that can go out there and have some swagger about him.”

No matter what happens this season — whether Julian wins the Heisman, Ohio State falls to Texas on Saturday or the Buckeyes run the table — his mindset will remain the same. There always is.

“I think sometimes bravado or being the star quarterback works too,” Aidan said. “But for the most part, teammates want to see somebody who’s about the team and not just about themselves. He’s just there to play football. He doesn’t care what else is associated with him. He just wants to play football and do his best this week.”

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