Julian Sayin completion percentage: How Ohio State's ultra-accurate QB compares to Bo Nix, Joe Burrow

The Ohio State Buckeyes had to replace the bulk of their national title-winning team from last season, and yet the Buckeyes are undefeated and look like an even stronger team than a year ago.

A big reason for that is how well quarterback Julian Sayin has been playing under center. Sayin, who transferred in the winter of 2024 from Alabama after Nick Saban retired, currently leads the nation in completion percentage. He’s on pace to break an NCAA record at his current rate.

Let's take a look at Sayin's completion percentage so far in 2025, and how it compares to some of the other great college football quarterbacks in recent years.

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Julian Sayin completion percentage 2025

Sayin has completed 80% of his passes this year, which is on-pace for an NCAA record. He has a pair of games with over 80% completion percentage, including wins over Minnesota (85.2%) and Wisconsin (85.7%). 

During Ohio State's 70-0 win over Grambling State, Sayin completed 94.7% of his passes, going 18-of-19 for 406 yards with four touchdowns and an interception. He fell just one completion short of setting an Ohio State record for consecutive completions. 

If Sayin's pace continues throughout the season, he'll set a new NCAA record for completion percentage. The last time we saw this in college football was just two seasons ago in 2023.  

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NCAA completion percentage record

The last quarterback to set an NCAA completion percentage record was Bo Nix, when he was a senior at Oregon in 2023. Nix played his final two college seasons at Oregon in 2022 and 2023. In his first season in Eugene, he completed 71.9% of his passes, which led the nation.

That was head coach Dan Lanning's first season as the Ducks' head coach, as Oregon finished 10-3. Nix threw for a career-high 3,593 yards with 29 touchdowns and seven interceptions.

Nix drastically improved his completion percentage as a senior in 2023. He finished with a 77.4% completion rate, which was an NCAA record. Nix surpassed Alabama quarterback Mac Jones, who set the previous record with the Tide in 2020.

He had six games that season in which he completed over 80% of his passes. His best outing came during Oregon's 81-7 Week 1 victory over Portland State, when he finished with an 85.2% completion rate, completing 23 of 27 passes.

He helped Oregon finish 12-2 in 2023, as the Ducks played in the Liberty Bowl, which was Nix's final game. He finished that game 28-of-35 (80%).

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NCAA all-time completion percentage leaders

Here's a look at the top-10 all-time completion percentage leaders. You'll likely see a few names you recognize:

*Indicates bowl stats includes

Mac Jones, 2020

During Mac Jones' third season with Alabama in 2020, he set a new NCAA record for completion percentage with 77.4%. One of his most impressive games that year came against Ole Miss, when he completed 87.5% of his passes for 417 yards and two touchdowns. Unsurprisingly, he won the Heisman Trophy that year, and threw for 4,500 yards with 41 touchdowns and four interceptions.  

He helped lead the Tide to a national championship that season, defeating Ohio State 52-24 in the CFP title game. He completed 80% of his passes or better in the Tide's two playoff games against Notre Dame and Ohio State.  

Joe Burrow, 2019 

Joe Burrow and the LSU Tigers set the college football world on fire in 2020. The Tigers finished a perfect 15-0 that season, and gave LSU its first national title since 2007. Burrow set NCAA records in virtually every statistical category that season, including passing yards (5,671), touchdowns (60) and completion percentage (76.3). 

He also won the Heisman Trophy that year in a landslide victory over finalists Jalen Hurts and Justin Fields.   

Kellen Moore, 2011

Former Boise State quarterback and now New Orleans Saints had coach Kellen Moore completed an NCAA record 74.3% of his passes in 2011. He threw for 3,800 yards with an NCAA-leading 43 touchdowns and nine interceptions. The Broncos finished 12-1 that season.  

Colt McCoy, 2008

Former Texas Longhorns quarterback Colt McCoy set an NCAA record for completion percentage in 2008, with his 76.7%. He helped lead the Longhorns to a 12-1 record that season, with Texas' lone loss coming to the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Fiesta Bowl. McCoy finished second for the Heisman that year, behind Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford. Florida's Tim Tebow was also a finalist.   

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Julian Sayin Heisman odds

As you can see, several quarterbacks who set records for completion percentages went on the win the Heisman. Currently, Sayin has +400 odds to win the Heisman, behind Indiana's Fernando Mendoza (+185). 

He'a ahead of other signal callers like Alabama's Ty Simpson (+400), Texas A&M's Marcel Reed (+650) and Vanderbilt's Diego Pavia (+950)