Ohio State will once again have a representative in New York City for the Heisman Trophy ceremony. The finalists for the 2025 Heisman Trophy were announced on Monday evening, and quarterback Julian Sayin was among the four players invited to attend the event in New York City.
Sayin follows in the footsteps of recent Buckeye greats like Justin Fields, C.J. Stroud and Marvin Harrison Jr., adding his name to the prestigious list of Scarlet and Gray Heisman finalists. He will be joined in New York for the ceremony by Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza, who Sayin faced in the Big Ten Championship Game on Saturday, Notre Dame’s Jeremiyah Love and Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia.
Coming into the season, there were questions about how the redshirt freshman would handle the pressure of leading the Ohio State offense as a first-year starter. Sayin answered those questions emphatically, becoming the catalyst for a dominant Buckeyes attack that powered the team to a perfect 12-0 regular season and a No. 1 national ranking.
DONATE TO ‘THE FOUNDATION’: Click here now to assist with Name, Image and Likeness compensation for Ohio State football and basketball student-athletes.
Sayin has been a model of efficiency and productivity for the Scarlet and Gray. In his first year as a starter, he threw for 3,329 yards and 31 touchdowns against just six interceptions. Perhaps most impressively, Sayin leads the nation with a remarkable 78.4 percent completion rate, a figure that set the record for a college football regular season and is on pace to establish a new NCAA record.
The California native saved some of his best performances for the biggest stages. He threw for four touchdowns in a crucial road victory at Wisconsin and played a key role in the Buckeyes’ 27-9 win over rival Michigan, passing for 233 yards and three scores to secure the undefeated regular season.
Despite the Scarlet and Gray losing to the Hoosiers in the Big Ten Championship Game over the weekend for the first time this season, Sayin completed 73.3 percent of his passes, throwing for 264 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
Sayin has already been named the Big Ten’s Thompson-Randle El Freshman of the Year and is a finalist for the Davey O’Brien Award. Now, he aims to become the eighth player in Ohio State history to win the Heisman Trophy, joining Troy Smith (2006), Eddie George (1995), Archie Griffin (1974, 1975), Howard Cassady (1955), Vic Janowicz (1950) and Les Horvath (1944).
Follow Patrick Murphy on Twitter and Instagram for more Ohio State coverage
What’s next for the Buckeyes? Make sure you’re in the loop — take five seconds to sign up for our FREE Buckeyes newsletter now!
The 2025 Heisman Trophy winner will be announced on Saturday, Dec. 13, at a ceremony in New York City.