JULIAN SAYIN CAPTAINS OHIO STATE UNDER NEW OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR

Julian Sayin, the newly named captain of Ohio State's football team, is leading the Buckeyes through a restructured offence under offensive coordinator Arthur Smith. Smith, hired in January following the departure of Brian Hartline to South Florida, holds full control of playcalling and offensive strategy for the 2026 season. Head coach Ryan Day previously handled playcalling duties himself after Hartline's departure in December, an arrangement that ended following a scoreless first half in a Cotton Bowl loss to Miami.

Smith brings 17 years of National Football League coaching experience from the Tennessee Titans, Atlanta Falcons and Pittsburgh Steelers. His system emphasises complex pre-snap communication and detailed play calls, introducing terminology Sayin described as "more wordy than last season" when speaking to reporters on 27 August. A notable tactical shift sees Ohio State deploy multiple tight ends simultaneously—a formation Smith frequently used during his time with Pittsburgh—rather than relying solely on receiver speed to generate offensive plays.

Smith stated that Sayin's ability to process information at speed has eased the transition to the more intricate system. "He doesn't feel like a young player to me, because he sees the game so well and he understands football," Smith said following a practice session. The quarterback's capacity to execute complex pre-snap reads has made the adjustment smoother than anticipated, according to Smith's assessment.