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COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Penn Hoping Freshman Aidan Sayin is Future at Quarterback with Every Meaningful Rep

By Marc Narducci (photos by Mike Nance), 11/08/21, 7:30PM EST

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By Marc Narducci

 

PHILADELPHIA -- Penn football coach Ray Priore insists that he is playing for both now and the future, a juggling act that is difficult when going with a freshman quarterback.

The Quakers, who are 3-5 overall and 1-4 Ivy League would have to spring major upsets in their final two games against Harvard (6-2, 3-2) and Princeton (7-1, 4-1) just to finish the season .500.

Priore decided to give freshman quarterback Aidan Sayin his first action of the season in a 42-28 loss at Yale on Oct. 23.

Penn senior John Quinnelly started the first five games. Maurcus McDaniel, a sophomore from Episcopal Academy, who is more known for his explosive running ability, got the start against Yale, but Sayin saw the majority of the action, completing 12 of 28 for 114 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.

Sayin made his first start the next week in Penn’s 45-17 win over Brown on Oct. 30. He completed 11 of 16 for 97 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions.

In Saturday’s 15-12 loss to Cornell, Sayin completed 26 of 45 for 247 yards, no touchdowns and one interception.

A 6-foot-2, 200-pound product of Carlsbad High in Carlsbad, California, Sayin has completed 49 of 89 for 458 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions.

He became the first Penn freshman to see time at quarterback since Alek Torgersen in November of 2013. Torgersen, also from California, went on to enjoy a successful career at Penn and has been in several NFL camps, having yet to appear in a regular season game.

Torgersen only played one game his freshman year, and that was against Cornell, but he went on to start 28 games over the next three seasons.

So, already Sayin has much more first-year experience than Torgersen, with two games to go.

While that is important for the future, Priore said he was only considering the present when he decided to go with Sayin.

“We made the decision (with the mindset) to win now,” Priore said.

Still, he realizes how beneficial it is for a freshman to gain experience.

At this point, it’s difficult to say that Sayin is the quarterback of the future, but the notion also can’t be discounted.

As with any football team at any level, so much rests with the quarterback so the development of Sayin will continue to be a main priority.

Priore and his staff didn’t throw Sayin into the fire, allowing him half a season to absorb the system before giving him his first significant playing time.

“It’s been a great experience learning from the upper classmen, seeing how they play the game, how they are passionate and into it…,” Sayin said.


Penn freshman QB Aidan Sayin in game vs. Cornell. (photo/Mike Nance for PSD)

Penn Head Coach Ray Priore was proud of his team's effort:

Cornell (2-6, 1-4) is in a similar situation as Penn, but is handling it in a different way. The Big Red alternated two quarterbacks against Penn, graduate student Richie Kenney and freshman Jameson Wang. Both saw sufficient action against the Quakers, often replacing the other in the same series. Wang is the better runner and he scored both of Cornell’s touchdowns on runs of 21 and 1 yard and also threw a two-point conversion pass to Thomas Glover.

Despite being out of the Ivy League race, Cornell coach David Archer is continuing to use two quarterbacks.

He said one of the reasons to keep using the veteran along with the rookie is that Wang is still learning the system.

“Jameson, being young, there is a limited package that he understands really well,” Archer said afterwards in an interview with Philadelphia Sports Digest. “There was such a big roster and there weren’t a lot of reps in training camp that he got, and there are a lot of plays that Richie makes really well, too.”

Everybody talks about reps and how valuable they are, but sometimes if a quarterback isn't prepared, the reps can become counterproductive. Both Penn and Cornell didn't throw their freshmen immediately into the fire. Now both freshmen are benefitting from the reps, something that wasn't forecast during the preseason. 

“The reps are gold,” Archer said. “You can’t recreate it, not in practice, not in scrimmage.”

Against Cornell, it appeared Penn was giving Sayin many short throws, seeing him complete passes which will help his confidence. One gets the impression that the playbook will keep expanding as Sayin continued to gain experience.

“He is very, very poised,” Priore said of Sayin. “He’s got a great football IQ...”

Priore says even in the three games, he has seen strides with Sayin, especially processing plays, when one potential player is covered, looking for other options.

“That type of processing bodes well for his future in the program,” Priore said.

Part of the future depends on how well Sayin does in these upcoming games. It’s so important to get the quarterback position right and while it’s too early to suggest that Sayin is the future, he will have every chance to cement that job down with each new rep.