There will be three Buckeyes in the top 10 of the Heisman voting this year. The Heisman Trophy Trust released the results of voting for spots 5-10 through its official social media account on Thursday.
Wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, who was likely in position to be invited to New York as one of the four finalists before he missed a game and a half with an injury, finished sixth. Defensive back Caleb Downs finished ninth and was one of two defensive players in the top 10.
The fifth through 10th spots in the 2025 Heisman balloting were released tonight on The Top 10 Heisman Trophy Finalists Show Presented by @nissanusa, which aired live on @espn.#Heisman | #MoreThanATrophy pic.twitter.com/aNpNiHE3XV
— The Heisman Trophy (@HeismanTrophy) December 12, 2025
Buckeyes quarterback Julian Sayin is one of the four finalists that were announced last week. He will be joined in New York by Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza, Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Paxia and Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love. Mendoza is a massive favorite to win according to the odds on FanDuel.
It's the third time that Ohio State has had three players in the Heisman top 10 (1969, 1973). The last team to have three players in the top-10 voting was Alabama in 2020.
The path to Buckeyes history continues for Smith
Smith's numbers were a little down from his amazing freshman season, but he still finished with 80 catches for 1,086 yards and 11 touchdowns. He is currently ninth on Ohio State's all-time list for career receiving yards, just 467 yards short of Emeka Egbuka's 2.868 yards. Smith's 26 touchdowns put him nine short of the Buckeyes' all-time record currently held by Chris Olave (35).
The sophomore was a Freshman All-American last season and has been recognized as an All-American this season by The Athletic, CBS Sports, Sports Illustrated, USA Today and PFF.
CBS Sports 1st Team All-Americans 🇺🇸
— The Buckeye Nut (@TheBuckeyeNut) December 11, 2025
🌰 Caleb Downs
🌰 Jeremiah Smith
🌰 Arvell Reese
🌰 Kayden McDonald pic.twitter.com/QzvE3MzuOk
Another banner year for Downs
Downs is the quarterback and undisputed leader of the Ohio State defense. Teams were a little smart this season about trying to avoid the space that Downs covered, but the junior still finished with 60 tackles and two interceptions.
He has been loading up on the offseason awards. Downs was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year last week and is expected to be a named a unanimous All-American for the second consecutive year. Downs is projected to go in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft.