With just under two months remaining until kickoff, Dalton Wasserman and Max Chadwick of Pro Football Focus unveiled the 50 best college football players entering the 2026 season.
Wasserman and Chadwick ranked Ohio State starter Julian Sayin as the top quarterback heading into 2026. He ranks as the No. 4 overall player via Pro Football Focus’ metrics.
Why did Pro Football Focus rank Sayin as the best quarterback entering 2026?
Many quarterbacks stand out because of their capabilities as runners, elusiveness in the backfield or overall grit. However, Pro Football Focus has its own analytical grading system for players, so many of its rankings are not congruent with other pundits because intangibles are not always taken into account.
Sayin’s efficiency is the reason Pro Football Focus holds him in such high regard. The 6-foot-1, 208-pounder finished 2025 with 3,610 passing yards, 32 touchdowns and eight interceptions, all while leading the nation in completion percentage. Of the four 2025 Heisman Trophy finalists, Sayin is the only one returning to college in 2026.
“The redshirt freshman completed 77.0% of his passes, the third-highest completion percentage in college football history, trailing only the 77.4% marks posted by Bo Nix in 2023 and Mac Jones in 2020,” Wasserman and Chadwick wrote. “Sayin’s 74.2% accurate throw rate also set the PFF College single-season record.”
How did Sayin become Ohio State’s starting quarterback?
Sayin’s path to Ohio State was an unorthodox one. He committed to Alabama as the No. 3 quarterback prospect in the class of 2024, holding the commitment for over a year and eventually signing with the Crimson Tide.
Just over a week after Sayin enrolled at Alabama, Nick Saban announced his retirement from college football coaching. Sayin entered the NCAA transfer portal and headed to Ohio State toward the end of January.
Sayin redshirted his freshman year of college, sitting behind Kansas State transfer Will Howard during the Buckeyes’ national championship run. Across four games, Sayin completed five passes for 84 yards and a touchdown while rushing for 24 more yards on two attempts.
Who ranks ahead of Sayin in Pro Football Focus’ rankings?
Sayin’s favorite target, Jeremiah Smith, is the No. 1 player on Pro Football Focus’ list. Widely considered a generational talent, Smith hauled in 87 receptions for 1,243 yards and 12 touchdowns from Sayin in 2025.
Two defenders sit ahead of Sayin in the rankings: Leonard Moore of Notre Dame and Colin Simmons of Texas. Moore is widely considered the best cornerback in college football; he is coming off a 2025 campaign in which he logged seven pass breakups and five interceptions, earning unanimous All-America honors.
Simmons has been one of the most dominant edge rushers in the country over the last two seasons. The 12 sacks Simmons finished with in 2025 were tied for fifth-most in FBS, and like Moore, he received All-America nominations across multiple publications.
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