Penn QB Aidan Sayin passed a trial by fire and now has program records to show for it

Sayin, who is already Penn’s all-time pass completion leader, can overtake two more program records in his final five games, one as early as this Friday when the Quakers host Yale

Penn quarterback Aidan Sayin is on pace to finish his time as a Quaker with a record-setting career and could add more as soon as Friday against Ivy League foe Yale.Read moreTyger Williams / Staff Photographer

by Conor Smith

Published Oct. 24, 2024, 1:15 p.m. ET

Three years ago, Penn found itself in a similar situation to its current state — winless in conference play at the halfway point of its season. At that time, coach Ray Priore turned to an unproven freshman quarterback from Carlsbad, Calif., to give his team a spark.

It was at that time that the Ivy League was introduced to Aidan Sayin. Now the senior quarterback is now on the cusp of rewriting Penn’s record books.

Sayin, who already is Penn’s all-time pass completion leader, can overtake two more program records in his final five games. He is eight passing touchdowns away from surpassing 2017 graduate Alek Torgersen’s 52 career touchdowns. With 7,177 career passing yards, Sayin needs just 366 more yards to pass 2001 graduate Gavin Hoffman as the program’s passing leader.

Should Sayin surpass Torgersen, they would be the only quarterbacks since the turn of the century to start as freshmen and leave Penn as record holders.

On Friday, Penn (2-3, 0-2 Ivy) hosts Yale (3-2, 0-2) at Franklin Field (7 p.m., ESPN+) Against the Bulldogs last season, Sayin had 364 passing yards and a pair of touchdown passes in a 27-17 win. A similar performance on Friday could give him the passing record.

“I think it’s a great opportunity for [Sayin] to potentially surpass the records,” Priore said earlier this season. “[But] I bet you he would throw that all in for winning a championship.”

Priore, now in his fourth year with Sayin as his signal caller, knows his quarterback well.

“My goal [coming into Penn] was to just play good football for a long time,” Sayin said. “Records come with that. Its cool to see those things, but we definitely want to just finish out the season strong.”

A family of QBs

The last time Sayin was a senior, his season was cut short because of COVID-19 restrictions. In just five games for Carlsbad High School, he passed for 962 yards and 13 touchdowns. His backup that season was his younger brother Julian.

Having played just 1½ seasons of varsity football, the elder Sayin’s sample size was small. Aidan was recruited by two programs, Cornell and Penn, and chose the Quakers because of their strong belief in him.

“I love Coach Priore,” Sayin said. “I didn’t have many offers coming out of high school, and he believed in me [and] he’s believed in me since.”

Back home, Julian started the next three seasons for Carlsbad and put together an impressive high school resumé. Ranked by Rivals as the sixth-best prospect in the class of 2024, he committed to Alabama before flipping to Ohio State.

Julian has been used sparingly as a freshman with the Buckeyes. He’s entered two games in the waning moments. Against Western Michigan, he threw his first college touchdown in a 56-0 win. His older brother was watching from across the country.

“I was going to bed because we had a Sunday practice [the next morning],” Aidan said. “I got a text that Julian was in the game. I turned it on my phone the play before he threw the touchdown. Was super fun to watch.”

As Ohio State was on a bye week, Julian flew into Philadelphia to surprise his brother and watch him take the field last Saturday against Columbia.

‘Nobody else I’d rather play with’

In the Ivy League, freshmen are not permitted on campus early for training camp. When Sayin was thrust into the starting role in 2021, he’d barely had two months with the team.

He now has over three years of taking snaps for the Quakers.

“Being there with [Sayin] since his freshman year and just seeing him grow and be more of a leader on the team is just awesome,” said senior wideout Julien Stokes. “A team captain, and now a three-year starter is just amazing. It’s been fun connecting with him, and there’s nobody else I’d rather play with.”

Last season, Sayin was instrumental in the breakout of quarterback-turned-wideout Jared Richardson. The receiver, who had 788 receiving yards in 2023, is Sayin’s top target again and leads the team in receiving yards this season.

“That’s my dog. Aidan’s my dog,” Richardson said. “He’s a heck of a quarterback. He’s been playing football for a long time, and he has that high football IQ.”

Sayin looks to take in every moment of his final five games for the Quakers. He said his last game at Franklin Field against Harvard on Nov. 16 “will definitely hit hard.”

Still, his eyes are set on a conference championship — an accolade that has eluded him during what’s shaping up to be a record-setting career at Penn.

“Give each day intent, and attack each thing we’re doing every day,” Sayin said. “Whether that’s in the weight room, on the field, or even in the classroom. How you do anything is really how you do everything.”