Julian Sayin Named Big Ten Freshman of the Week, Arvell Reese Named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week

Julian Sayin is the Big Ten Freshman of the Week for the fourth time this season after he completed 20 of 23 passes for 316 yards and four touchdowns in Ohio State's win over Penn State. Arvell Reese earned his first Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week award of the year for his efforts against the Nittany Lions, which included a team-leading 12 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and one sack.

#WeSayinFreshmanOfTheWeek

For the fourth time this year, Julian Sayin takes home B1G freshman honors.

@ifs x #PlayerOfTheWeek pic.twitter.com/3vtex2ArHN

— Big Ten Football (@B1Gfootball) November 3, 2025

Arvell Reese wreaked havoc in Week 10

@ifs x #PlayerOfTheWeek pic.twitter.com/pYQnANKRQ9

— Big Ten Football (@B1Gfootball) November 3, 2025

Sayin has looked like the best quarterback in college football this season, but especially in Ohio State's past five games, as he completed 120 of 147 passes (82%) for 2,188 yards, 15 touchdowns and zero interceptions.

If Sayin can continue his run of excellence, Ryan Day believes his quarterback should be in the Heisman Trophy conversation.

“I think there's some really good quarterbacks across the country this year,” Day said. “There are a lot of good quarterbacks in the conference. And so it'll be told when the season's over. I think it's easy to be it whenever Week 8, Week 9, Week 10, and try to make proclamations on where guys are. I think we have to see what the season holds for us and the progress that's made, and then we go from there. And I think even when you look at the Heisman Trophy, it's sort of after the season's over. ... But I do think that if Julian continues to play the way that he's playing, he deserves to be in the conversation at the very least.”

Oddsmakers don't need to wait and see on Sayin. According to FanDuel Sportsbook, Sayin currently has the best odds to win the Heisman at +175. Indiana's Fernando Mendoza (+220), Alabama's Ty Simpson (+340), Texas A&M's Marcel Reed (+650) and Georgia's Gunner Stockton (+2500) round out the top five behind Sayin, while Jeremiah Smith has the sixth-best odds at +3000.

Reese will also be in the running for national awards this season, namely the Butkus Award for college football's best linebacker and Bednarik Award for college football's best defensive player. He has demolished Ohio State's first eight opponents while pacing the Buckeyes with 54 tackles. His nine tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks rank second on the team behind Caden Curry's 10.5 and seven.

The 6-foot-4, 243-pound linebacker joins Curry as the Buckeyes not named Julian Sayin to win a Big Ten weekly award this season. Curry was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week after Ohio State's win over Washington, in which he recorded 11 tackles, a school-record five tackles for loss and three sacks.