CARLSBAD, Calif. (KGTV) — Carlsbad High School quarterback Julian Sayin was recruited by the top schools in the country before committing to Alabama, and that's bringing a lot of attention to football across San Diego.
“He’s got ice in his veins. He’s a real calm, cool commander on the field," Lancer Head Coach Thaddeus MacNeal told ABC 10News.
Sayin was seemingly born to be a quarterback, taking an interest at a young age because of his older brother, Aidan.
“I started playing maybe five or six years old. Really just followed the footsteps of my brother. He played quarterback when I was younger and I kind of wanted to be like him," Sayin said during an interview at practice Monday.
Perhaps because of the success of Aidan, now the starting quarterback at Penn, coaches came calling early. Julian says he started getting scholarship offers while in eighth grade. But even at such a young age, he knew what he wanted for his future.
“I wasn’t really interested in too much of the flash that a lot of programs had," Sayin said. "It was really just who is going to develop me the best because my goal is to go play in the NFL.”
Because football is such a team game, Sayin's success helped shine a spotlight on other players.
“When all those eyes are on him, they’re also looking at his teammates. And then I can speak about his teammates because I have their attention," MacNeal said.
He pointed to one player from last year who got an offer from Michigan after coming to their attention while their coaches were scouting Sayin.
Those benefits aren't just limited to Carlsbad High. College recruiters are seeing both teams play, and MacNeal says he'll even take the opportunity to talk up players from other local schools.
“When I have all these great coaches around the country, I talk about all the players in the county because we have so many great players in the county, we have so many great coaches in the county, and I want everyone to get exposure,” he says.
