COLUMBUS, Ohio – Less than 24 hours after Ohio State’s season-ending 13-10 defeat to Indiana in the first round of the College Football Playoff, freshman quarterback Julian Sayin did something no one in Buckeye Nation was prepared for: he apologized.

Not just a quick “we’ll get ’em next year” post, but a raw, voice-cracking, 400-word message posted at 2:17 a.m. that left millions reaching for tissues and praying for a kid who clearly blames himself for a loss that was never his alone to carry.

“I’m sorry everyone,” the 19-year-old wrote. “I tried my hardest, but right now my health simply won’t let me be the quarterback you all deserve. I gave everything I had, yet we still fell 3 points short.

Please forgive me and forgive my teammates… Thank you for staying by my side even though I failed tonight.”

The post has been viewed more than 28 million times and has become the most interacted-with message in Ohio State football social media history.

What turned a heartbreaking defeat into a full-blown crisis of concern, however, was the quiet admission buried near the end: “Things are tougher than I’ve let on. My body isn’t responding the way it should right now.”

For weeks, rumors had circulated inside the Woody Hayes Athletic Center that Sayin was playing hurt.

Sources confirmed to The Lantern late Monday night that the lingering effects stem from a high-ankle sprain suffered in the regular-season finale against Michigan, compounded by a separate lower-leg nerve issue that flared violently in the fourth quarter against Indiana.

The freshman never once came out of the game, even after limping visibly on the final series.

On Tuesday afternoon, Sayin provided a small but significant update from his off-campus apartment, posting a short video while propped on the couch with his right foot in an air cast and ice pack:

“Hey Buckeye Nation. First, thank you – seriously, thank you – for every message, prayer, and kind word. I’ve read thousands of them and they mean more than you’ll ever know. I’m doing a little better today.

The swelling is down some and the doctors say the nerve is calming, but the foot is still pretty painful. They want me completely off it for at least another 10-14 days, maybe longer.

I hate sitting still, but I promise I’ll follow every step so I can come back stronger for you next season. Love you all. O-H…”

The relief was immediate. Within minutes #WeLoveYouJulian was the No. 1 trending topic nationwide, and the Ohio State football account posted a simple red heart emoji that garnered two million likes in under an hour.

Head coach Ryan Day, speaking to reporters Tuesday, fought back emotion when asked about his young quarterback’s message.

“Julian Sayin is the toughest kid I’ve ever coached,” Day said. “He’s also the most selfless. That apology? That should’ve come from me, from the staff, from all of us. Not from a 19-year-old who played the last six quarters of his freshman year on one leg.

He has nothing – nothing – to apologize for.”

Day confirmed that Sayin finished the Indiana game with a severely sprained right ankle and what doctors are now calling “significant peroneal nerve irritation” that caused numbness and shooting pain down the foot. Trainers had to cut his cleat off in the locker room after the final whistle.

Yet the quarterback still asked to stay in when the Buckeyes got the ball back trailing 13-10 with 1:48 remaining.

“He looked at me and said, ‘Coach, I can make the throws. Just get me the ball,’” Day recalled. “That’s who he is.”

Teammates flooded social media with support. Wide receiver Emeka Egbuka posted a photo of Sayin icing the ankle on the team plane home, captioning it: “This kid carried us while he could barely walk. Stop blaming him.

Start thanking him.” Running back TreVeyon Henderson wrote, “Julian Sayin is the reason we even had a chance tonight. Future is bright because of HIM, not in spite of him.”

Even former Ohio State legends weighed in. Ezekiel Elliott tweeted: “Been there, kid. The great ones always think the loss is on them. It never is. Heal up, 11.

Columbus has your back.” Cardale Jones added: “Freshman QB taking bullets for the whole team after gutting it out injured? That’s a Buckeye for life.”

Medical staff expect Sayin to make a full recovery well before spring practice, provided he adheres to the aggressive rehab and rest protocol. The nerve irritation, while painful, is not considered career-threatening, and the ankle sprain – initially feared to be a high-ankle fracture – is healing faster than projected.

For now, the teenager who became a household name overnight is doing what he hates most: sitting. Friends say he’s already badgering the training staff about pool workouts and upper-body lifting. Typical Julian.

Buckeye Nation isn’t worried about next season. They’re worried about today – about a soft-spoken kid from Carlsbad, California who feels like he let 100,000 people down when all he did was give everything he had left.

Julian, if you’re reading this: the only thing you owe us is to get healthy. The apology is declined. The love is accepted. And the jersey with your name on it will be waiting whenever you’re ready to lace them up again.

We’re not going anywhere.