Julian Sayin is on the move. 

The No.  1-ranked quarterback in the 2024 recruiting class committed to Alabama back in 2022 and had already enrolled in Tuscaloosa earlier this month. But coach Nick Saban’s swift departure brought instant change and the dominos fell quickly. In came transfer QB Austin Mack, joining former Washington coach Kaleb DeBoer with the Crimson Tide. Out went Sayin. 

The 6-foot-1 freshman will now hit the transfer portal and explore other options after an epic tumbling of the dominoes across college football, with Saban’s departure continuing to impact other programs and players across the country. 

While there wasn’t a ton of drama in Sayin’s recruitment process given he committed to Alabama so early, that’s all about to change with the consensus five-star prospect out of Carlsbad, California back on the open market ahead of the 2024 season. 

Julian Sayin 2024 Transfer College Team Odds

Top Fits To Land QB Julian Sayin

While most quarterbacks entering the portal at this time will have limited options, Sayin isn’t like most quarterbacks. He’s a can’t-miss prospect who commanded the attention of nearly every top team in the country several years ago, and he’ll have his pick of top suitors. 

The most logical choice and something that could get done soon is Ohio State. There are multiple reasons to believe Sayin will continue his college career in Columbus, with 2023 starter Kyle McCord transferring to Syracuse. 

The Buckeyes already brought in senior transfer QB Will Howard out of Kansas State, but he’ll be gone next year and you don’t pass up on a guy like Sayin if the opportunity presents itself. 

Further helping Ohio State’s cause is the fact that coach Ryan Day just brought in Bill O’Brien as the new offensive coordinator. O’Brien recruited Sayin to Tuscaloosa when he was the offensive coordinator at Alabama, and we wouldn’t be at all surprised to see Sayin follow him to Columbus. 

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Others who tried and failed to land Sayin out of high school include Brian Kelly, who could be interested in bringing Sayin to LSU. Garrett Nussmeier figured to be the starter for 2024 after leading the Tigers to a ReliaQuest Bowl win over Wisconsin in place of starter Jayden Daniels but, again, exceptions can always be made for players with this much talent. 

The same goes for Georgia, which was reportedly Sayin’s second choice out of high school before he ultimately committed to Alabama. Carson Beck is set to return for his senior year, but Sayin could always compete for the job and take a chance in Athens if he wants to stay in the SEC. 

USC and Auburn are two longshot possibilities, though the Trojans are interesting as Sayin is from the area. 

No matter where Sayin ultimately ends up, we know his commitment will make a huge splash and continue to shake up a college football landscape that looks a whole lot different than it did two weeks ago.