"It would be a mistake to just hand ball": Urban Meyer sends strong message to Steve Sarkisian & Ryan Day before Arch Manning vs Julian Sayin showdown

The 2025 college football season kicks off with a blockbuster matchup between Texas and Ohio State at Columbus on August 30. All eyes would be on the SEC vs. Big Ten clash, especially with young gunslingers Arch Manning and Julian Sayin throwing dimes for their respective teams. While Texas has better odds to win the game, former Ohio State coach Urban Meyer claims it won't be easy for either team.

What makes the matchup more intriguing is the presence of young players on both sides. Steve Sarkisian and Ryan Day have sent almost 14+ players to the NFL and a handful to the transfer portal. They lack veteran talent in crucial spots entering 2025.

Meyer was speaking to Colin Cowherd on The Herd this week, where he shared his opinion about the season opener. He mentioned that both Arch Manning and Julian Sayin need to be protected and it would be a mistake if they are allowed to play their minds.

"This is going to be really interesting to watch in this game,” Meyer said on Thursday. [Timestamp - 2:00]

“Because you can say Arch Manning is not much different than Julian Sayin. You know, he’s not done a lot either. So you better protect these quarterbacks. That means don’t have many balls down the middle of the field, work the outsides and give them a bunch of easy throws to start that game, because it would be a mistake to just hand the ball to these guys and let them go play early in their careers like this,” he added.

Steve Sarkisian claims Julian Sayin will be a challenge

It appears like Ryan Day found a perfect replacement for Will Howard in Julian Sayin. On Monday, the veteran coach announced that Sayin will start for the team in the upcoming 2025 season.

Texas coach Steve Sarkisian was quick to react and mentioned that Sayin has always been a leader and his raw talent was evident when he camped with Texas a couple of years ago.

“We recruited him hard. He was a really gifted passer, a really good player. He came to camp with us, I want to say, two years in a row. We've got a lot of familiarity with him. He’s a very good player, an elite passer. Very good arm talent, a quick release and a really accurate guy,” Sarkisian said to the reporters.

The upcoming faceoff will be a rematch for both sides , especially Texas, who lost the Cotton Bowl game in the playoffs last season. They were deprived of their national championship contention by a narrow margin. This year, Coach Sarkisian will look to improve upon its mistakes and have a great start on Aug 30.