Justyn Martin transferred to Ohio State because he believes Ohio State can develop him into an NFL quarterback even though he won‘t be the Buckeyes’ starter in 2026.
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Ohio State’s Track Record of Developing NFL Quarterbacks, Connection with Billy Fessler Drew Justyn Martin to Buckeyes
Justyn Martin transferred to Ohio State because he believes Ohio State can help him achieve his goal of playing in the NFL.
No, Martin won’t be Ohio State’s starting quarterback in 2026. That job, of course, belongs to returning Heisman Trophy finalist Julian Sayin. But although he’s already been in college for four years, Martin expects to have two more years of collegiate eligibility because he suffered a season-ending injury during Maryland’s season opener last year, making him eligible to apply for a medical hardship waiver.
Expecting that Sayin will enter the 2027 NFL draft after next season, Martin couldn’t pass up the opportunity to compete for Ohio State’s starting quarterback job in 2027, even if it means waiting his turn on the bench in 2026. In the meantime, Martin is excited about how he will develop under the coaching of Ohio State head coach Ryan Day and quarterbacks coach Billy Fessler.
“I was really sold on them being able to develop me into the quarterback that I want to be,” Martin told
Eleven Warriors about his decision to become a Buckeye. “I know if I'm able to get coached by the best coaches in the country, especially when dealing with quarterbacks, I could really go as far as I want with football.”
Each of Ohio State’s last five starting quarterbacks have gone on to be selected in the NFL draft, including three first-round picks in C.J. Stroud, Justin Fields and Dwayne Haskins. Ohio State’s proven history of developing NFL quarterbacks was a “large factor” in Martin’s decision, he said, because he hopes to follow in their footsteps.
“They produce great quarterbacks, and I want to be one of the next ones that comes to Ohio State and do great things,” Martin said. “Just seeing the track record was great, and I want to follow suit.”
Martin has known Fessler since 2024, when UCLA hired Fessler as its quarterbacks coach. Fessler’s time on staff ended up being short-lived, as he followed Chip Kelly to Ohio State after Kelly, UCLA’s head coach at the time, left to become Ohio State’s offensive coordinator. But Martin was impressed with how well Fessler handled that transition, in which Fessler helped Will Howard become a national championship quarterback as Ohio State’s assistant quarterbacks coach in 2024 before guiding Sayin to become a Heisman finalist in his first season as Ohio State’s primary quarterbacks coach last year.
“Really seeing his resilience of coming to UCLA, coming to be the quarterback coach and then having to basically shift his entire life and come over to Ohio State and still never wavering, I find those are traits of a good coach,” Martin said of Fessler. “His ability to coach all the guys prior and really allow their games to be elevated was something big for me.”
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Re: Each of Ohio State’s last five starting quarterbacks have gone on to be selected in the NFL draft, including three first-round picks in C.J. Stroud, Justin Fields and Dwayne Haskins.
Note: The last starting Ohio State QB that wasn't drafted by the NFL was JT Barrett; however, he was a undrafted free agent that did make 3 different NFL teams practice squads (see below).
- New Orleans Saints (2018)*
- Seattle Seahawks (2019)*
- New Orleans Saints (2019)*
- Pittsburgh Steelers (2019)*
- Edmonton Elks (2022)*
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| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only |
Just sayin': The other 2 are probably Kyle McCord and Will Howard; and that doesn't even count Joe Burrow and Quinn Ewers who both spent time at Ohio State. Anyway, it is interesting to see the Ohio State coaches (including Billy Fessler) getting a reputation as being able to develop NFL caliber QBs.
