The Ohio State football team was a little unsure of handing Julian Sayin the keys to the offense when the year started. As a redshirt freshman, he had a lot of pressure on him. Even though there were some questions, Sayin answered all of those and then some.
Sayin was a Heisman Finalist, even though he was wildly disrespected in the final vote. Still, the Buckeyes have a shot to win a national championship with Sayin under center. The Ohio State Buckeyes are the second seed in the College Football Playoff, largely because of his play.
Now, Sayin has gotten an award for what he was able to do on the field. He has been awarded as the best freshman in all of college football, winning the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award. He is now the second Buckeye to win it in the last three years, although Caleb Downs won it when he was with Alabama.
Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin scores victory over Miami player
One of the players that Sayin was able to win the award over is Miami freshman Malachi Toney. The receiver was one of the finalists for the award, but Sayin was able to bring it home instead. Considering Sayin was one of the finalists for the Heisman, that makes sense.
Sayin is hoping that this is not the only victory over the Hurricanes he has. The Cotton Bowl is the first step in the CFP for the Ohio State Buckeyes to defend their national championship. Ohio State is almost a double-digit favorite, so they feel confident that they can win this game.
Ohio State will need Sayin to play well in order to win that game. If he does, there's no reason the Buckeyes shouldn't be able to advance to the next round. The winner of the Cotton Bowl will play the winner of Georgia and Ole Miss.
If Sayin does what he has all season long, it should be Ohio State in the winner's circle.