Jeremiah Smith was rehabbing his quadriceps injury late last season when the star wide receiver had a conversation with Ohio State strength coach Mickey Marotti.
“He came up to me and said, ‘Do you know who the toughest player in the whole Woody (Hayes Athletic Center) is?’” Smith recalled at Big Ten media days.
Marotti told him it was quarterback Julian Sayin.
“When he said Julian Sayin, I’m like, that makes sense,” Smith said. “Julian, he’s very tough.”
Smith said Sayin played late last season with an ankle injury that was not widely known.
It wasn’t just that Sayin played through pain. Much of his toughness was mental. Sayin took over at quarterback as a redshirt freshman from a fifth-year senior, Will Howard, who won a national championship.
Buckeye Nation is not known for its patience, and Sayin was thrown into the fire. From the first game, the 14-7 win over Texas, Sayin showed that he could handle the pressure.
For most of the season, his completion percentage hovered around 80%, and he earned a trip to New York City as a Heisman Trophy finalist. As a second-year starter, he’s ready to take another leap.
Sayin, who looked almost frail last season, is now up to 215 pounds on his 6-foot-1 frame and is noticeably sturdier. He believes his added strength has given him more zip on his passes. He and Smith were workout partners in the offseason, and it’s not easy to keep up with Smith.
That’s why Sayin was particularly proud of Smith for passing along Marotti’s
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