As the top team in the country, the Ohio State football team has some of the best players in the country. Coming into the season, Jeremiah Smith had established himself as the best overall player in the nation. He and several teammates were on some preseason watchlists for awards.
Midway through the season, those same Ohio State Buckeyes are popping up on midseason watchlists. Of course, the most prestigious award is the Heisman Trophy. Smith and teammate Julian Sayin are two of the favorites to win that award at this point.
Those two players have also found themselves as semifinalists for the Maxwell Award, which is given to the best offensive player in the country. They aren't the only pair of Buckeyes to be semifinalists for one of the big-time awards given out at the end of the year.
The Ohio State football team has two pairs of teammates listed as semifinalists for awards
Caleb Downs and Arvell Reese are also semifinalists for a very prestigious award. They are semifinalists for the Chuck Bednarik Award, which is given to the best defensive player in the country. Both players have been key reasons why the Buckeyes have the best defense in the country.
Reese has had a ridiculous start to the season, shooting up draft boards. Downs ended last season as the best defensive player in the country, as he was a key member of the national championship team in the secondary. He made game-saving tackles against Texas in the Cotton Bowl.
It's very likely that Downs and Reese will be top-ten picks in the 2026 NFL Draft. Smith will be a top-five pick in the 2027 NFL Draft. Sayin, if he chooses to leave, will have an opportunity to be a top pick in that draft as well. The Buckeyes certainly hope they can keep him as long as possible.
None of these players cares about these awards right now. They will all tell the media that they are focused on three things: beating TTUN, winning a Big Ten Championship, and winning back-to-back national titles.