Our third look at asking whether or not a current player can break an Ohio State single-season record or two, let’s turn to Julian Sayin. Last year, Sayin excelled in a number of areas in his first season as the starter. The second-year player was thrown to the wolves right away against the then-number-one team in the country in Week 1, and responded. He only managed 126 yards and one score, but he looked confident throwing it downfield (plus, there were a few unfortunate drops).
Sayin finished fourth in Heisman Trophy voting in a year in which he finished with more touchdowns than incompletions twice, and threw for at least three touchdowns on six different occasions. Now, looking ahead to the 2026 season, there are some lofty goals for the Buckeye quarterback. Can the baby-faced assassin etch his name into the history books this year?
Can Julian Sayin Break the Ohio State Single-Season Passing Records?
The Current Records
Unlike when talking about the Ohio State single-season rushing or receiving records, Sayin can really only shoot for the yards and touchdowns records. Completions could be a goal, but that seems a bit out of Sayin’s control compared to yards and touchdowns. Of course, Sayin already owns one Ohio State single-season (and, by extension, career) record: completion percentage. Among Buckeye quarterbacks, his 77.0% mark from 2025 stands alone, and his career mark of 75.9% overtook Will Howard’s record (among quarterbacks who actually made starts…Tate Martell is up there, but he never started).
Unlike those other records, there is one player to chase for these records: the late Dwayne Haskins.
| Record Holder | Sayin | |
| Yards | 4,831 (Dwayne Haskins, 2018) | 3,610 |
| Touchdowns | 50 (Dwayne Haskins, 2018) | 33 |
Haskins’ 2018 season was as legendary as any non-Heisman-winning season among Buckeyes, regardless of position. Of course, there’s a caveat that the Ohio State defense in 2018 was legitimately awful, so he had to play more four-quarter games, including that Maryland game decided in overtime. In his lone season as the starter, Haskins led the FBS in passing and topped the Big Ten in attempts, completions, touchdowns, and each of the various averages.
He did all of that in 14 games, which included the Big Ten Championship win over Northwestern and the Rose Bowl win over Washington. In five games, Haskins threw for at least five touchdowns, and he went over 300 yards nine times.
And he did that while having one 1,000-yard rusher and one who missed by 46 yards. The Buckeyes leaned on Haskins, but it wasn’t due to a lack of run game.
What Sayin Would Have To Do
From the jump, it would take a lot to hit those goals for Sayin. In his young career, Sayin has shown an ability to dissect defenses and put his guys in the best possible position to win. Sure, it helps that last year, he had Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate to throw to, but he was fitting the ball into NFL-sized windows.
In terms of a per-game basis, Sayin has a high bar to clear. We broke it down here, ranging from just 12 regular-season games to a potential 17-game CPF National Championship Game appearance run:
| Games | Yards | Touchdowns |
| 12 | 402.7 | 4.3 |
| 13 | 371.7 | 3.9 |
| 14 | 345.1 | 3.6 |
| 15 | 322.1 | 3.4 |
| 16 | 302 | 3.2 |
| 17 | 284.2 | 3 |
Haskins doesn’t own each record by luck; he was near unstoppable. Sayin would need more of the same this year. Let’s say he wants to aim for breaking the record against Michigan in the 12th game. Sayin would have to average more than his career bests.
Now, if Ohio State made the Big Ten Championship and loses (or if there is a timeline in which the Buckeyes are the five seed), it can make a run. In 17 games, Sayin could have an easier time. Last year, he went over 285 yards and scored three times in five games.
Is It Possible?
If Sayin is going to break the Ohio State single-season passing records, it’ll take a monster season. Taking that step in his second season as the starter is not outlandish in the slightest.
Sayin has two things that Haskins did not: the opportunity for more games and a defense.
The biggest reason Sayin may be able to break the records is the chance for more games. If Ohio State is able to make a run as many expect, Sayin could suit up for 14, 15, 16, or even 17 games, making it easier to chase down that incredible 2018 performance from Haskins. At the same time, the fact that the schedule looks tougher on paper, Sayin will likely have to play more four-quarter games than he did last year. Of course, it’s not like Texas, Indiana, Oregon, or Michigan will just lie down and let him go nuts.
However, the thing that could play against Sayin, just like with Smith and Jackson in pursuit of their records, is the fact that the Ohio State defense is one of the best in college football. Barring a nuclear collapse, the Buckeyes won’t be locked in nail-biter week after week because no matter how much the offense scores, the defense would allow just as much. Despite having to replace the majority of the defense, Ohio State should be alright on that side of the ball.
If you’re a betting person, it’s probably a good bet the Sayin will come up short. He could certainly have a 3,000-yard, 40-touchdown season now that an experienced offensive coordinator is calling the shots. At the same time, that offensive coordinator likes running the ball and utilizing multiple-tight-end sets. Remember, the offense Haskins operated was led by Urban Meyer and Ryan Day; they liked turning up the heat back in the day. Today, it doesn’t seem like Day has the same mentality.
Main Image: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images
