Seemingly, everyone has a way-too-early Heisman Trophy contender list as we speed ahead toward the start of the 2026 college football season. As you would expect, two Ohio State players make most of those lists, quarterback Julian Sayin and star receiver Jeremiah Smith, but right or wrong, one appears more often than the other because it's the way of the award.
Yes, almost all of the Heisman winners are quarterbacks, and so Sayin is generally higher on those lists than Smith, and that's the case with the latest top-five Heisman candidate ranking provided by ESPN's Jordan Rogers. He actually doesn't have Smith in the five he mentions at all, but does have the Buckeye signal-caller. And while some lists and odds have had Sayin as the No. 1 favorite,
that hasn't been the case as we get closer to the season. For Rogers, he has Sayin at No. 4 out of the five hopefuls he lists behind Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss (1), Texas quarterback Arch Manning (2), and Indiana quarterback Josh Hoover (3), who transferred in from TCU. Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer rounds out the top five according to Rogers.
That's not to say that Sayin couldn't be No. 1, and in fact, Rogers makes some good points about his chances of winning the bronze statue.
"Led the country in completion percentage last year -- 77% -- let me tell you, that is hard to do throwing in shorts and t-shirts with your kid in the front yard," Rogers said. "He did it at Ohio State. He's got one of the best weapons in the country in Jeremiah Smith, a dynamic running back as well. He's going to be right in the mix at the end of this one."
Jordan Rodgers' top 5 Heisman Trophy candidates https://t.co/lE0u757JRI
— Buckeyes Wire (@BuckeyesWire) August 1, 2026
If Ohio State has the type of year we expect, like almost every year, we will probably see Sayin and maybe Smith in New York as Heisman finalists; it just depends on whether the team success is great enough to push him into the driver's seat. Either way, we'll keep an eye on the Heisman race and where the Buckeye players are throughout the season.
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This article originally appeared on Buckeyes Wire: ESPN names Ohio State QB Julian Sayin among 5 Heisman candidates
