Ohio State had a Heisman Trophy finalist last season again when quarterback Julian Sayin was one of four players invited to the ceremony in New York.
The redshirt freshman Buckeye ended up finishing fourth in the voting, with Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza taking the honor, and Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love and Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia both finishing above Sayin as well.
The Buckeyes have had many Heisman finalists recently, but a Heisman winner has eluded the program since Troy Smith in 2006.
Some of the more recent finalists for Ohio State who didn’t take the trophy home were wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. in 2023, quarterback C.J. Stroud in 2022 and 2021, quarterback Justin Fields in 2019 and quarterback Dwayne Haskins in 2018.
With the 2026 season still months away, the Buckeyes seem to have multiple players who are capable of taking home the honor of top player in college football.
Sayin returns for his sophomore season, and according to FanDuel sportsbook, he is tied for the fourth-best odds to win the Heisman Trophy at +1200. Ahead of him are Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr (+750), Texas quarterback Arch Manning (+800) and Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss (+1100).
Tied with Sayin in Heisman odds are Indiana transfer quarterback Josh Hoover and Oregon quarterback Dante Moore.
Sayin is coming off a season in which he completed 77.0 percent of his passes, which was the best in the country, on the way to 3,610 yards and 32 touchdowns to eight interceptions. Had he played a strong game in the Big Ten championship, Sayin may have pushed his way into first place in Heisman voting last year. However, he was outplayed by Mendoza in the game and lost to the Hoosiers, throwing for 258 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
You don’t need to look much further down the list to find the next Buckeye.
Unsurprisingly, wide receiver Jeremiah Smith — who finished sixth in Heisman voting last season — is seventh in odds to win the award for the 2026 season at +1300. He’s tied with Miami (Fla.) quarterback Darian Mensah.
Smith is in his third year with Ohio State and is well on pace to set program records in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns after two strong seasons. In two years, he has accumulated 163 catches for 2,558 yards and 27 touchdowns through the air, along with two rushing touchdowns, in 29 games.
FanDuel also sees Ohio State running back Bo Jackson as a dark horse to win the award at +10000 odds. Jackson is coming off a strong freshman season in which he eclipsed 1,000 yards on the ground and scored seven total touchdowns, adding 200 yards receiving.
Former Ohio State backup quarterback Lincoln Kienholz, who transferred to Louisville over the offseason and is in line to start for the Cardinals, has +7000 odds to win the Heisman Trophy, which is 25th-best of all players.
With the schedule the Buckeyes are playing — six games against opponents that finished the 2025 season ranked by both AP and the College Football Playoff committee — the argument could be made that it will be tough for any OSU player to take home the Heisman Trophy.
However, the argument could also be made that if the Buckeyes are in more close games because of their schedule, there will be more opportunity for “Heisman moments,” which end up being an important piece of the conversation when it comes time to vote.
