Breaking out early in a college career has shown a link to being worth an early NFL pick. Experts call that a “breakout age.” So, celebrating early breakouts is only right. Since 2019, the Shuan Alexander Freshman of the Year Award has been given out to the top college football player in their first season of eligibility. It says it like that because redshirt freshmen are as eligible for the award as true freshmen.
The Freshman of the Year Award is named after former Alabama running back Shaun Alexander. While he started off the season further down the depth chart, he broke out thanks to a 20-carry, 291-yard, four-touchdown performance in 1996 against LSU as a true freshman. He finished off his first season with 664 yards and seven touchdowns. He was later drafted with the 19th overall pick by the Seattle Seahawks. Alexander went on to have a nine-year career where he led the NFL in rushing and touchdowns in 2005, en route to an MVP.
This year, there were plenty of worthy true and redshirt freshmen all across college football. After leading his team back to the CFP as the number-two seed, Ohio State’s Julian Sayin has won the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award. He beat out Notre Dame’s C.J. Carr, Miami (FL)’s Malachi Toney, and North Texas’s Drew Mestemaker. Sayin is the first Buckeye to win the award (Caleb Downs won the award in 2023 with Alabama).
Julian Sayin Wins Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award
As the top-rated quarterback recruit in the 2024 class, Sayin hardly had his bags unpacked at Alabama when Nick Saban announced his retirement. As a result, he hopped into the portal and landed at Ohio State. Last year, he redshirted after sitting behind Will Howard as the Buckeyes took the national championship. Heading into this year, expectations were high.
From the jump, Sayin showed that he was ready for the college football game. His accuracy and calm demeanor have been the most impressive parts of his game. He leads the nation with a 78.4% completion percentage and, barring a nuclear collapse in the CFP, will own the all-time single-season mark. For reference, there are 10 other quarterbacks completing over 70% of their passes this year. Sayin has 11 games in which he completed at least 70% of his passes, with a high of 94.7% in the win over Grambling State.
In total, Sayin headed into the postseason with 3,323 yards and 31 touchdowns over the course of 13 games. He sat at second-best in the Big Ten for both stats.
In addition to the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award, Sayin is a finalist for the Maxwell Award, Davey O’Brien Award, Walter Camp Award, and Heisman Trophy.
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