Urban Meyer delivers blunt advice to Ohio State's Julian Sayin ahead of Texas showdown: 'He can't mess it up'

Julian Sayin emerged victorious from the Ohio State quarterback competition, and his first test as the leader of the No. 3 Buckeyes' offense could not be much more challenging. The former five-star recruit squares off against No. 1 Texas and its imposing defense in Saturday's season opener, which headlines a loaded Week 1 slate. Former Ohio State coach Urban Meyer had some blunt advice for the first-time starter ahead of the colossal showdown and said he anticipates the Buckeyes keeping things simple for him out of the gate.

Meyer is an authority on putting inexperienced quarterbacks in position to be successful. That was perhaps most evident in 2014, when he twice inserted new starters into the lineup and got the most out of J.T. Barrett and Cardale Jones en route to a national championship.

"I hate to say it like this, because you never want your quarterback playing like this -- he can't screw it up," Meyer said on "The Joel Klatt Show." "They've got excellent coaches and Ryan's an expert quarterback coach. You give him so many easy throws. You don't need to win this game, Julian. You do not have to do that. You have enough cats around you."

College football odds, picks, predictions: Ohio State vs. Texas, Notre Dame vs. Miami headline in Week 1

Brad Crawford

First-year starters for the Buckeyes, who are currently 2.5-point favorites for Saturday's game at FanDuel, have a stellar track record. Over the last decade, no quarterback lost more than two games in his first year atop the depth chart. Barrett, Jones, Dwayne Haskins, Justin Fields, C.J. Stroud, Kyle McCord and Will Howard combined to post an incredible 80-8 record in their debut seasons leading the OSU offense.

Ohio State always boasts an elite supporting cast around its quarterbacks, which undoubtedly plays a key role in helping inexperienced signal-callers ease into the job. That is the case again in 2025 as wide receivers Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate headline an outstanding crew of returners from last year's national championship squad.

"You're going to see a bunch of screens, I would imagine, to Jeremiah and that crew," said Meyer. "You're going to see a strong run game. You're going to see easy throws. I would always tell these young quarterbacks, get us two first downs and your job is accomplished. That's all you gotta do."

Sayin saw limited action across four games last season, handling late-game reps when the result was no longer in question. He completed five of his 12 pass attempts for 84 yards and logged his first career touchdown pass.

While Arch Manning is leading the Texas offense, the UT defense presents a greater Week 1 challenge than those that Sayin's predecessors faced in their debuts. The Longhorns feature a pair of Preseason All-Americans on the defensive side of the ball in edge rusher Colin Simmons and linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. That tandem hails from a unit that last season ranked third nationally in both scoring defense and yards allowed per game.