Julian Sayin already put himself on the Heisman map once, and now the path back is pretty clear: Ohio State needs him to keep stacking big moments when the schedule gets nasty.
After a phenomenal 2025 season, Sayin finished as the Big Ten Freshman of the Year and a second-team All-Big Ten passer, then helped push the Buckeyes through an undefeated regular season and into the Heisman finalist conversation. The trophy ended up with Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza, but Sayin enters 2026 with real momentum. FanDuel Sportsbook has him tied for fifth among the Heisman favorites at +1300, alongside teammate Jeremiah Smith and Oregon quarterback Dante Moore.
The challenge ahead is brutal. Ohio State’s 2026 slate includes an early trip to Texas, road games at Iowa, Indiana and USC, and home dates with Oregon and Michigan.
That stretch alone could shape the whole race. A loss to the Longhorns would not end Sayin’s chances, but the October run is where the pressure really ramps up.
If he survives those road games and then handles Oregon at home to open November, he stays in the hunt. If not, the Heisman conversation could move on without him.
Sayin also can’t rely on one target to carry the load. He helped Jeremiah Smith establish himself as the nation’s top wide receiver last season and played a role in Carnell Tate developing into a Top-5 draft pick.
This year, Ohio State will need more production across the board. Smith’s numbers, in particular, are expected to rise, with anything below 1,400 yards and 15 touchdowns potentially feeling like a letdown.
But Sayin also has to spread the ball around to Chris Henry Jr., Brandon Inniss, and incoming transfers Kyle Parker and Devin McCuin, while Hunter Welcing and Mason Williams also need touches to help him put up the kind of numbers Heisman voters notice.
There’s another layer to it, too: Sayin may need to make plays with his legs. The more he can add outside the pocket, the more ways he gives himself to stand out in a crowded race.
The back half of the schedule leaves no room for a slip. After mid-November, Ohio State closes with Northwestern at home, Nebraska on the road and Michigan at home.
The first two should be comfortable wins, and the Wolverines are expected to be handled again, much like last year’s 27-9 result. If the Buckeyes get that far, Sayin would then have one last stage in the Big Ten Championship game in December to make a final Heisman push.
That final showcase only matters if Ohio State reaches it. If the Buckeyes miss the conference title game, it becomes hard to imagine Sayin having the award locked up by then.
Mendoza’s Heisman case last season came with a signature moment: he led Indiana on a game-winning drive, found Omar Cooper in the back of the endzone with 36 seconds left, and finished off a 27-24 win that preserved the Hoosiers’ perfect season. He also delivered when Indiana needed him most against Penn State, and after that he never gave up his spot as the favorite.
Sayin’s route is different. Ohio State’s defense kept the Buckeyes out of many tight games last year, and after the Week 1 win over Texas, they did not play another close one until the loss to Indiana in the Big Ten title game.
This season, that cushion may be gone. Against a schedule like this, Sayin will have to answer in the biggest spots, with both his arm and his legs.
Even if Ohio State drops a couple of those games, he cannot be the reason the losses stick to the Buckeyes if he wants to stay in the Heisman race.
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