College football analyst claims Julian Sayin set to become "star" at Ohio State

College football analyst Josh Pate believes Julian Sayin will be the Ohio State Buckeyes' next star. The team is coming off a successful season, defeating the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the national championship game on Jan. 20, and coach Ryan Day hopes to lead his team to another national title game with a new roster.

On Tuesday's episode of "Josh Pate's College Football Show," the analyst predicted Sayin will become a star in his sophomore year under Day.

"I trust them at quarterback. Now, they're unknown. They're unproven at quarterback. I think Julian Sayin is going to be a star in college football next year, so I'm high on him. It's just, I trust the program. Kind of like what I do with Texas (Longhorns). I trust the program," Pate said (4:22 onwards).

Pate also discussed why he believes the Buckeyes will at least win the Big Ten Championship next season. He said the Buckeyes' current roster matches up well against teams like Penn State, the Oregon Ducks and the Michigan Wolverines

"Big Ten. I'd put Ohio State right back there. Ohio State over Penn State? Sounds reasonable. Give me that right now," Pate said (3:50 onwards).

"You can't view Ohio State in a vacuum, so people will look at Ohio State and they'll say, 'Oh, how can you pick them to win the conference? Look at all they lost (players).' Well, I don't have them competing against last year's version of themselves."

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Josh Pate shares expects Julian Sayin to start as QB for Ohio State Buckeyes

The Buckeyes will be without quarterback Will Howard, who will enter the 2025 NFL draft. Howard led the program to victory against Notre Dame, completing 17 of 21 passes for 231 yards and two touchdowns. He wrapped up his final college football season with 767 career completions for 9,796 yards and 83 touchdowns.

Day has yet to confirm who will replace Howard as the starting quarterback. Fans expect Sayin to take the role, but the team also has Taven St. Clair and Lincoln Kienholz competing for the job. Training camp will determine who earns the spot

Pate believes Sayin will get the nod for the starting role.

"Ohio State, I don't know if that's a battle. Like, I really expect Julian Sayin to be the starting quarterback there," Pate said (3:41 onwards).

He noted that St. Clair could impress during training camp and make a case for the starting role. However, Sayin’s experience playing behind Howard last season may sway Day’s decision to have him lead the team.