A vibe check on Julian Sayin as Ohio State opens preseason camp

Does the Buckeyes quarterback really have "a different look in his eye?"

Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin recaps the third preseason camp practice. (Bill Landis, BAD)

COLUMBUS — Julian Sayin threw a ball over Jeremiah Smith’s head at practice on Friday. Smith was running an in-breaking route probably 8-10 yards down the field. Sayin fired over his head, and a little behind. Then the three most important people to Ohio State football’s success this season held a meeting on the indoor field of the Woody Hayes Athletic Center.

Sayin, Smith and Ryan Day stood together for a few minutes while another group of players went through a split-team period. Day did most of the talking, but Sayin and Smith had input. It wasn’t contentious. Just three minds working together early in camp to make sure misses like what happened on the play preceding the conversation don’t happen often, or at all, once the games start.

That scene — Sayin, Smith and Day convening after a play — played out two or three times over the first three days of practice. I asked Sayin on Saturday what those chats are like, and what he, Smith and Day are trying to get accomplished.

“How can we improve our timing and get on the same page on everything?” Sayin said. “A lot of that work was done in the offseason. Communication is the best thing for our offense. How can we get to the point where we know what each other is thinking? Being able to take the points from Coach Day, who’s an elite developer of quarterbacks and somebody who knows the passing game really well, so Jeremiah and I always come together with him to talk about a certain route or certain coverage; what can we do to beat this?”

Sayin is carrying himself differently this offseason. I could envision the same scenario playing out last year, and Sayin just nodding along without saying anything. He wasn’t the confirmed starter at this time a year ago. It’s taken him some time to find his voice.