Julian Sayin named Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year

ARLINGTON, Texas — Ohio State redshirt freshman quarterback Julian Sayin is adding a significant piece of hardware to his shelf after an impressive first season as a starter.

The Buckeyes signal caller was already a Heisman Trophy finalist thanks to his wonderful season. Now he’s the first Ohio State player to ever be named the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year, which has been given annually to the top freshman — true or redshirt — since 2018 when Trevor Lawrence of Clemson won it.

Sayin is the second player on the Ohio State roster to win the award; safety Caleb Downs won it as a true freshman safety at Alabama in 2023 before he transferred to the Buckeyes for his final two years of college football.

Julian Sayin completed 78.4 percent of his passes this season for 3,323 yards and 31 touchdown passes to just six interceptions. He led the Buckeyes to a 12-1 record with a win over Michigan to cap off a perfect regular season before falling to Indiana in the Big Ten title game. Still, Sayin is a worthy recipient of the award.

This could have been a second straight Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year honor for an Ohio State player, but wide receiver Jeremiah Smith didn’t win it last year despite having 76 catches for 1,315 receiving yards and 15 touchdown grabs a season ago; the award instead went to Texas edge rusher Collin Simmons.

But back to Julian Sayin, who finished fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting, finishing behind Mendoza, runner up Diego Pavia of Vanderbilt and third-place finisher Jeremiyah Love of Notre Dame. Sayin received eight first-place votes for the trophy, finishing behind Mendoza for the Big Ten title, the Heisman Trophy and most first-team All-America honors.

Now Sayin has a chance to prove he’s the best quarterback in the country, starting on New Year’s Eve in the Cotton Bowl quarterfinal against Miami (7:30 p.m., ESPN).