Julian Sayin out indefinitely
Sports · Heat 2.7 / 10 · 5 shows · 29m airtime
Ohio State coach Ryan Day said on October 20, 2026, that quarterback Julian Sayin is out indefinitely with a throwing shoulder injury and that the Buckeyes plan to move forward without him. Later reporting describes the injury as being to Sayin's elbow, leaving the exact nature of the problem unsettled. On3 reports the program is planning as if Sayin will miss the rest of the season, and Luke Fahey is expected to start at USC on Saturday. Day has said the quarterback decision is ultimately his. Jeremiah Smith's Heisman odds moved from about minus 500 to plus 120 in two weeks.
How 5 podcasts covered it
- Josh Pate's College Football Show, 2026-10-21 (10:40 to 15:54)
Reports Sayin out and projects two losses
Reports Ryan Day's announcement that Sayin is out indefinitely with an elbow injury and adds On3's reporting that Ohio State is planning as if he will miss the rest of the season. Pate then projects two more losses and a playoff miss, and pivots to SEC and Big 12 bracket scenarios.
New angle: On3 reports Ohio State is planning as if Sayin will miss the remainder of the season. - First Take, 2026-10-21 (39:44 to 43:05)
Argues Ohio State should panic over Sayin
Turns Ryan Day's announcement into a panic-or-patience segment and lands on panic across the panel, leaning on the backup's rough relief appearance and the 2014 Florida State precedent to argue a two-loss Ohio State could be jumped by a 9-3 team.
New angle: Ryan Day said Sayin is out indefinitely with a throwing shoulder injury and Ohio State is planning to move forward without him. - The Rich Eisen Show, 2026-10-21 (26:13 to 30:38)
Projects a 9-3 Ohio State missing the playoff
Pate takes the Sayin injury as the starting point and projects the season forward: a 9-3 Ohio State that misses the playoff, with the run game and the underuse of Jeremiah Smith and Chris Henry Jr. as the reasons. A prediction built on the injury, not a new fact about it.
New angle: Pate projects Ohio State at 9-3 and out of the playoff without Sayin. - Josh Pate's College Football Show, 2026-10-21 (15:21 to 17:51)
Debates Ohio State's playoff odds without Sayin
Compton and Pate debate Ohio State's playoff odds without Sayin, with Compton predicting two more losses and a playoff miss. Stays inside the injury fallout already on the record, adding only the schedule and a note that Tavien St. Clair has been in the program a year. - The Pat McAfee Show, 2026-10-22 (42:48 to 47:50)
Walks through Ohio State's post-Sayin room
Herbstreit walks through Ohio State's post-Sayin quarterback room, naming Luke Fahey and Tavien St. Clair as the competition and the bye week as the window to settle it. Adds the injury's specific site and Day's on-record framing of the decision as his alone.
New angle: Sayin's injury is to his elbow, and Ryan Day says the quarterback call is ultimately his. - The Dan Le Batard Show, 2026-10-26 (10:50 to 12:59)
Reports Smith's Heisman odds swing after the injury
Puts a number on the fallout from Sayin's injury: Jeremiah Smith's Heisman odds moved from around minus 500 to plus 120 in the two weeks since. The rest is reaction, arguing the backup looked worse than Sayin and that waiting to see is a cop-out.
New angle: Jeremiah Smith's Heisman odds moved from about minus 500 to plus 120 in two weeks. - Josh Pate's College Football Show, 2026-10-28 (12:49 to 19:21)
Previews Ohio State at USC without Sayin
Previews Ohio State at USC as the Buckeyes' first game without Sayin, with Luke Fahey expected to start. Adds the line, the model number and the pick, and frames the game as a physical mismatch rather than a quarterback test.
New angle: Luke Fahey is expected to start at quarterback for Ohio State at USC on Saturday.