Alabama Quarterback Transfers to Championship Contender After Nick Saban's Retirement

Julian Sayin will play for Ohio State next season.

By Brian Jones

The Alabama Crimson Tide football team just lost another top player. According to ESPN, freshman quarterback Julian Sayin is transferring to Ohio State after entering the NCAA transfer portal over the weekend. Sayin is a five-star quarterback who was ranked No. 3 in the country last year. This comes shortly after Nick Saban announced his retirement as head coach. 

According to ESPN, the reason Sayin transferred was because he came to play for Saban. And now that Saban is no longer the head coach, Sayin decided to get a fresh start at Ohio State. During his senior year at Carlsbad High School in Carlsbad, California, Sayin threw for 2,369 yards, 24 touchdowns and one interception. After high school, Sayin chose Alabama over, Ohio State, LSU and Texas. He plans to enroll at Ohio State soon and will take part in the Buckeyes' spring practice later this year. 

"Incredibly excited to join the team here at Ohio State," Sayin told ESPN on Sunday. "I held this program in high regard throughout my entire recruiting process and am looking forward to learning from some of the most talented players and coaches in college football and contributing to our team's success."  

Thadd MacNeal, Sayin's high school coach, explained why his former player selected Ohio State. "They were actually No. 2 for him," MacNeal said, per 247Sports. "They were actually a close second and he visited at least two times that I know of. He loved Ryan Day and the offense and how quarterback-friendly he is. Ohio State has done a great job developing quarterbacks there and Julian really likes (co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach (Brian) Hartline, too. He was involved recruiting Julian and they always have a great WR room at Ohio State and that's obviously a huge deal if you're a quarterback."

MacNeal also said Ohio State's winning tradition played a role for Sayin. "He wants to compete for a national championship," MacNeal said. "There's only a few schools built that way, and Ohio State is obviously one. They have a great winning tradition and have a great chance to make the (College Football) Playoff every year for the foreseeable future. They're bringing in a great class and Julian knows a lot of the players there, including Jeremiah Smith, who's a very special talent. He's really excited and this is a great opportunity for him."

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