The boldest guarantee since the Urban Meyer era

Guarantees in rivalry week are rare at OHIO STATE. They’re even rarer from freshmen. But according to sources inside the Buckeyes program, Sayin’s statement did not come from arrogance but from a rising sense of responsibility. Coaches have praised him privately for his poise, leadership, and uncanny ability to match intensity with maturity beyond his age.

When asked whether he regretted the comment, Sayin doubled down.

A defining announcement from the Buckeyes

Why Julian Sayin’s rise has changed everything

Sayin arrived at OHIO STATE with immense expectations. A five-star recruit. A generational arm talent. A quarterback room centerpiece. But no one inside or outside the program believed he would be the face of the Buckeyes’ biggest rivalry showdown before even finishing his first semester.

And yet, here he is.

Michigan reacts: silence in Ann Arbor

What this means for The Game

The stakes were already enormous: playoff implications, conference pride, decades of history, and the emotional weight of OHIO STATE’s losing streak all hanging in balance.

But Sayin’s guarantee has changed the entire atmosphere of the matchup. Suddenly, The Game isn’t just about revenge. It’s about belief — belief restored, belief renewed, belief demanded by a quarterback who has never known the pain of losing to Michigan because he refuses to imagine it.

The freshman who stepped into a legacy

The final promise before kickoff