Sayin grew up in Solana Beach, California and attended Carlsbad High School in Carlsbad.[1][2] Sayin sat behind his brother, Aidan, his freshman season. He became the Lancers' starting quarterback entering his sophomore year and finished the season with 2,769 passing yards with 34 touchdowns and five interceptions.[3] Sayin passed for 2,708 yards and 27 touchdowns as a junior.[4] On June 27, 2022, Sayin was announced as one of the quarterbacks to play in the 2024 Polynesian Bowl.[5] He participated in the finals of the 2023 Elite 11 quarterback competition and was named the tournament's MVP.[6][7][8] Sayin also participated in the QB retreat competition in 2023 with Steve Clarkson.[9] Sayin was named captain of the football team before the 2023 season.[10] In his final season, he had 2,369 passing yards, 24 touchdowns, and one interception, adding four additional rushing touchdowns.
Sayin was rated a five-star recruit and the second-best quarterback prospect in the 2024 class.[11][12][13][14] He received his first scholarship offer when he was in 8th grade from Kenny Dillingham, then the offensive coordinator at Florida State.[1] Sayin committed to play college football at Alabama during his junior season after considering offers from Georgia and LSU.[15][16] He had other notable offers from Notre Dame, Texas, and Florida.[17]
On January 21, 2024, Sayin announced he was transferring to Ohio State.[20] On January 31, he signed a name, image, and likeness (NIL) deal with Panini America, a trading card company owned by Panini Group.[21] On February 14, Sayin signed another NIL deal this time with an Ohio State-driven collective known as The Foundation.[22]
