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While Julian Sayin may currently be one of college football's best players, Ohio State defensive coordinator Matt Patricia is also comparing the redshirt freshman quarterback to one of the greatest quarterbacks of all-time. 

Patricia, a longtime NFL coach who won three Super Bowls with the Patriots, said that Sayin reminds him of a fellow Big Ten quarterback who went onto enjoy a Hall of Fame NFL career. 

"Very efficient, really good leader, smart with the football," Patricia said of Sayin on the Downs 2 Business podcast. "He's doing a good job of getting the ball out to those guys, too. So maybe that's a young Drew Brees. Maybe that's where we're headed with it." 

From a numbers standpoint, Patricia's comparison holds up. 

During his three seasons as a starter at Purdue, Brees led the Big Ten in completions three times and in completion percentage on two occasions. In his first year as Ohio State's starting quarterback, Sayin is currently pacing the Big Ten in completions and completion percentage. 

Sayin, who has completed a staggering 80.9% of his passes this season, is on pace to set a new NCAA single-season record for completion percentage. 

Both quarterbacks parlayed their individual success into team success. During his senior season (2000), Brees led the Boilermakers to a share of the Big Ten title and the school's first trip to the Rose Bowl in 34 years. In fact, it was a 64-yard, game-winning touchdown pass from Brees against the Buckeyes that season that spearheaded Purdue's conference championship. It also contributed to the end of John Cooper's long and largely successful run as the Buckeyes' coach. 

This season, Sayin has helped the defending national champions get off to a 9-0 start entering Saturday night's home game against UCLA. Last week, against Brees' alma mater, Sayin completed a whopping 81.8% of his throws for 303 yards with a touchdown and an interception while helping lead the Buckeyes to a 34-10 win. 

In addition to pursuing a national title, Sayin also has a chance to win the Heisman Trophy, an award that alluded Brees during his time at Purdue. If he is able to do so, Sayin would join Troy Smith (2006) as the only pure Ohio State quarterbacks to win college football's ultimate individual honor.