Former Ohio State quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith took to X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday morning to share his thoughts on the Buckeyes’ new signal-caller, Julian Sayin. The freshman has been nothing short of sensational to start the 2025 season, leading the nation in completion percentage at over 80%. Through five games, he’s thrown for 1,313 yards, 13 touchdowns, just three interceptions, and has only been sacked twice. Ohio State is off to a 5-0 start and currently holds the No. 1 spot in both the AP Poll and the US LBM Coaches Poll.
Smith didn’t hold back in his praise for Sayin and even took a subtle jab at Texas quarterback Arch Manning. According to Smith, if Manning were putting up the kind of numbers Sayin has, he’d already be the clear Heisman frontrunner and the favorite for the Davey O’Brien Award. Smith feels Sayin isn’t getting the recognition he deserves and believes the freshman’s stellar play and Ohio State’s dominance should be getting more national respect.
Despite his impressive start, Sayin currently sits fourth or fifth in Heisman odds at most sportsbooks, trailing Miami’s Carson Beck, Oregon’s Dante Moore, Alabama’s Ty Simpson, his own teammate Jeremiah Smith, and Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza.
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