Julian Sayin reveals why he left Alabama for Ohio State football

The former Alabama five-star quarterback hopeful jumped ship for Ohio State this offseason, and it was for the reason you might expect.

Julian Sayin reveals the reason why he transferred out of Alabama and chose Ohio State this season. / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

The decision of five-star quarterback Julian Sayin to transfer out of Alabama and pick Ohio State was one of the most momentous of the active 2024 transfer portal market.

Looking back on his decision, Sayin gave the reason most people expected as to why he departed the Crimson Tide for the Buckeyes: the landmark retirement of head coach Nick Saban.

"I came because of Coach Saban," Sayin said. "We had a great relationship throughout the recruiting process. I love Coach Saban and I really wanted to play for him.

"The new staff that came in, we didn't have a relationship prior to when I got there, so I just felt like it was the best decision for me to come out here."

But it wasn't just Saban's retirement that inspired Sayin to leave Alabama. It was also the presence of head coach Ryan Day and offensive coordinator Chip Kelly at Ohio State.

"I felt like there's really good quarterback development here," he said. "Coach Day is a great quarterback whisperer. The quarterbacks they've had in just the past five years have really put up great numbers and have just really done things the right way.

"I wanted to come into this offense and be coached by him, be coached by Coach Kelly, make adjustments at the line, that type of thing," he added.

Sayin's departure was a huge loss for Alabama amid Kalen DeBoer's first offseason as head coach.

The former five-star prospect was considered the No. 2 overall ranked quarterback in the 2024 recruiting cycle, according to an average of the four national recruiting services.

Sayin is expected to play a reserve role behind presumptive starter Will Howard, the veteran former Kansas State signal caller who transferred to the Buckeyes this offseason.

But after that, it's expected that Sayin will compete with incoming five-star freshman Air Noland for the starting quarterback position at Ohio State for the 2025 season.

Related: Air Noland decides on Ohio State future amid transfer rumors

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