Ryan Day reveals promising Julian Sayin recovery update

Ohio State head coach Ryan Day says the Buckeyes have received positive news on the injury to starting quarterback Julian Sayin.

Day made the announcement during his weekly radio show on 97.1 The Fan on Thursday night.

Sayin suffered an injury to his throwing arm and shoulder during Ohio State’s game at Indiana on October 17.

He emerged from the locker room with his arm in a sling.

After the injury, Day said that Ohio State was preparing as if Sayin could be out for the remainder of the 2026 season.

That preparation has not changed.

But the medical outlook has.

“All things considered, the outcome with the different options that were (available) kind of going into the situation thinking it could be, I think this has been a decent outcome for us and for him,” Day said on the show.

“We’ll kind of let him go through that, but this thing looks to be healing.”

Day made clear that Sayin will not return in the short term.

“It’s not gonna be next week or next month,” Day said.

“It’s gonna take some time.”

But the long-term prognosis has shifted.

“I think certainly for the long term, we feel like we’re on a good track here,” Day said.

Sayin was having a standout season before the injury.

He was completing 68.2% of his passes.

He had thrown for 2,007 yards with 19 touchdowns and four interceptions.

He also added two rushing touchdowns.

Sayin was a central piece of the Heisman campaign for wide receiver Jeremiah Smith.

Smith is currently ranked No. 2 in the On3 Heisman Poll after Week 9.

Ohio State has played only one game since Sayin went down.

The Buckeyes had a bye the week after the Indiana game.

Then they traveled to USC and lost 30-18.

True freshman Luke Fahey made his first career start in that game.

Fahey completed 21 of 38 passes for 260 yards and a touchdown.

He connected with Smith 10 times for 83 yards and a touchdown in the loss.

Day praised Fahey’s performance under difficult circumstances.

But the rest of the team did not elevate around him.

Ohio State’s defense gave up multiple explosive plays.

The defensive line failed to record a single sack against USC quarterback Jayden Maiava.

That has been a recurring issue this season.

The Buckeyes lost leading sack man Caden Curry from last season.

Kenyatta Jackson was expected to replace that production but has only three sacks through eight games.

Nobody else on the roster has more than the two sacks recorded by linebacker Riley Pettijohn.

Day did offer one note of potential help on the defensive front.

Freshman Khary Wilder, who generated consistent pressure early in the season before dealing with injuries, is now fully healthy.

“It’s good that he’s healthy now,” Day said Wednesday. “Fully healthy.”

“So that is good and we’ve had conversations about giving him an opportunity to get in there.”

Wilder has played in only four games this season and has one tackle.

He has not been on the field since the Illinois game at the end of September.

Ohio State now sits at No. 12 in the initial College Football Playoff rankings.

That position keeps them out of the projected bracket as of today.

The Buckeyes have four regular-season games remaining.

They host No. 23 Oregon on Saturday at Ohio Stadium.

After that, they host Northwestern.

Then they go on the road to Nebraska.

The regular season ends at home against Michigan in The Game.

Day framed the Oregon matchup as a pivotal moment.

“Starting the playoff season right now,” Day said on his radio show.

The winner of Saturday’s game stays alive for the Playoff.

The loser is likely out of contention.

Oregon has had a rough season of its own.

The Ducks entered the year with expectations similar to Ohio State’s.

They lost at Oklahoma State in Week 2.

Then quarterback Dante Moore, a Heisman Trophy candidate, went down with an injury.

Oregon lost to UCLA and at Illinois.

The Ducks now have three losses.

Day said the Buckeyes need to return to the form they showed before the USC game.

“It’s never as bad as it seems,” former Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud said this week, weighing in on the pressure Day is facing.

Stroud made clear he still supports his former coach and the program.

Day himself did not dwell on the pressure during his radio appearance.

He focused on the health update for Sayin and the task ahead against Oregon.