The 2025 college football season is officially complete. Indiana Hoosiers get their moment in the spotlight, celebrations roll on, and another year of chaos is added to the sport’s history books.
But for the rest of the country, and for college football sickos everywhere, the attention has already shifted forward.
Julian Sayin’s Heisman Buzz Already Brewing
With the calendar turning comes the annual tradition of way-too-early rankings, award projections, and Heisman predictions. While much of it is speculation, a few names feel more inevitable than hypothetical. One of them is Ohio State son-to-be junior quarterback Julian Sayin, who enters the 2026 season already carrying legitimate Heisman momentum after appearing in New York for the 2025 ceremony.
Sayin’s Heisman case isn’t built on projection alone, he has already lived the experience. After a stellar 2025 campaign, Sayin earned an invitation to New York, firmly establishing himself among the nation’s elite quarterbacks.
Now, with another year of development and unfinished business, his return to the Heisman conversation feels less like a long shot and more like a natural progression.
PFSN analyst Alec Elijah sees a clear path for Sayin to make it back to college football’s biggest stage. Looking ahead to 2026, Elijah noted that if Ohio State pairs another strong team finish with a return to the top of the Big Ten, Sayin’s elite accuracy and surgical style of play will keep him at the center of the national conversation.
With another year of experience and lingering motivation after last season’s setback, Sayin enters 2026 as one of the most polished and dangerous quarterbacks in college football.
Ohio State Is Building on a Championship-Caliber 2025 Foundation
Ohio State’s 2025 season provided the perfect foundation for that Heisman momentum. The Buckeyes finished with just two losses on the year, powered by elite production on both sides of the ball. While national attention often focused on Ohio State’s historic defensive unit, the offense quietly delivered at an elite level in its own right.
According to PFSN’s CFB Offensive Impact Grades, Ohio State ranked third nationally with a score of 90.9, trailing only Vanderbilt and Indiana. At the center of that offensive success was Sayin, who finished as the fourth-highest graded quarterback in the country with a 90.8 impact grade. His efficiency and consistency elevated an already talented roster into one of the most dangerous units in the nation.
Sayin’s raw production in 2025 only strengthens his case as one of the game’s premier quarterbacks. He completed an eye-popping 77 percent of his passes while throwing for 3,610 yards and 32 touchdowns. That completion percentage is borderline otherworldly, a number that suggests the football almost never touched the ground. Sayin consistently delivered the ball on time and on target, dissecting defenses with calm precision and advanced decision-making well beyond his years.
His game is built on accuracy, anticipation, and control. He doesn’t rely on chaos or improvisation; instead, he wins with efficiency and command. That style translates to sustained success, especially when paired with elite talent around him.
Ohio State won’t be taking any steps back offensively in 2026, and Sayin will once again be surrounded by one of the most talented skill groups in the country. With running back Bo Jackson returning, wide receiver Jeremiah Smith continuing his ascent, and another five-star wideout in Chris Henry Jr. arriving on campus, the Buckeyes remain loaded at every skill position.
Jeremiah Smith finished inside the top five of PFSN’s CFB wide receiver impact grades in 2025, and Ohio State’s ability to consistently develop elite pass catchers feels almost routine at this point. With that kind of firepower, Sayin will have every opportunity to push his production to an even higher level.
What’s Next for Sayin in 2026
If there is an area where Sayin can elevate his game further, it comes in his pocket mobility. While he doesn’t need to become a true dual-threat quarterback, there were moments late in the 2025 season, when competition stiffened, where escaping pressure proved challenging. Adding just a bit more athleticism and pocket awareness would make an already elite quarterback even harder to defend.
Julian Sayin is no longer an emerging star, he has arrived. With a Heisman résumé already in motion, elite production behind him, and a loaded roster returning around him, the path back to New York in 2026 is clearly defined.
This time, the goal isn’t just to attend. It’s to leave holding the trophy. If 2025 was the introduction, 2026 may very well be the coronation.
