While the Buckeyes’ defense was the story of their 2025 season, the offense had its stars as well. Jeremiah Smith, Carnell Tate, and Julian Sayin impressed throughout the campaign. The first two even climbed the Heisman charts, only to be toppled by Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza. It didn’t help them that they were competing against each other for the same honor. That situation isn’t going to change next season either.

FanDuel has released its early odds for the 2026 Heisman Trophy. As per the sports betting site, Notre Dame QB CJ Carr and Texas QB Arch Manning are tied for the first spot with +800 odds. Following them are two Buckeyes, each with +1000 odds in Jeremiah Smith and Julian Sayin.

It’s not far-fetched to imagine a scenario where either Sayin or Smith gets to New York next season to grab the Heisman. Throughout the 2025 season, they remained near the top, and ultimately, it came down to Sayin and Mendoza. The winner of the Big 10 Championship game was to win the award. Mendoza didn’t play great against Ohio State, but he still made some impressive plays. That shouldn’t take anything away from the season Sayin had.

In just his first season as the starter, the Alabama starter passed for 3,610 yards for 32 touchdowns and just eight interceptions, having the third-best QBR with 88.5. He also set a record for completion percentage and finished first in passer rating. It helped that his receiving corps included the likes of Smith, who amassed 1,243 yards and 12 touchdowns. 

In the end, Smith didn’t get to go to work and be a part of the Heisman podium. That list featured Mendoza, Sayin, Diego Pavia, and Jeremiyah Love. But when you think from the standpoint of Ohio State as a program, a dual campaign is never a good thing.

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Ohio State’s dual Heisman Campaign

Both Julian Sayin and Jeremiah Smith were in the Heisman race until the last week of the regular season. This prompted the Buckeyes to launch a dual campaign to promote both Sayin and Smith, aiming to win the trophy. But in reality, it only backfired.

While other college football programs had only one Heisman candidate, this approach increased the competition against candidates from other schools. However, with the Buckeyes, the dual-Heisman campaign only reduced each other’s chances, splitting the votes. Where Sayin was invited to New York, and Smith was not.

The split in votes helped Indiana’s QB Fernando Mendoza receive 95.16% of all ballots, to set the second-highest votes in the history of the Heisman. Mendoza received 2,362 points, including 643 first-place votes, which is way ahead of the rest of the finalists.

This could be the case if multiple stars compete for the same honor. There’s still a chance, if the team performs well with both, that the praise will be shared. However, the chances are very thin. It will be interesting to see if they can carry the same momentum, sharing the prize.