Jeremiah Smith Named Big Ten Receiver of the Year, Julian Sayin Freshman of the Year, Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year

In one of the bigger no-brainers of the college football season, Jeremiah Smith is the Big Ten Receiver of the Year, winning that award for the second year in a row. Julian Sayin won the Big Ten Freshman of the Year Award after emerging as one of the nation's best quarterbacks (and players in general) in 2025, but he was not named Big Ten Quarterback of the Year or Offensive Player of the Year, as Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza won both of those awards.

While Mendoza struck the first blow in a battle for several major awards between the two, Sayin also finished as second-team All-Big Ten by both the coaches and media, with Mendoza making the first team. 

Wide receiver Carnell Tate and tight end Max Klare joined Smith as first-team All-Big Ten selections, all three selected by both the conference's coaches and its media. They are joined by another six Buckeyes who picked up second- or third-team honors, with left guard Luke Montgomery sweeping the second-team selections alongside Sayin.

Left tackle Austin Siereveld and running back Bo Jackson were each named second-team honorees by Big Ten coaches and third-team by the media. Right guard Tegra Tshabola, right tackle Phillip Daniels and center Carson Hinzman all collected third-team honors from the media, meaning all five of Ohio State's offensive line starters landed either second- or third-team All-Big Ten.

The full list of Ohio State's Big Ten honorees, including the defensive and special teams players who won awards on Wednesday:

In total, 19 Ohio State players earned either first-, second- or third-team All-Big Ten honors this season, with five individual award winners (Smith, Sayin, Caleb Downs, Arvell Reese and Kayden McDonald).

Mendoza finished the regular season with a completion rate of 72%, collecting 2,758 yards and 32 touchdowns against just five interceptions. Sayin set the NCAA single-season completion percentage record for a regular season, connecting on 78.9% of throws for 3,065 yards and 30 touchdowns, also with five interceptions. Both men enter the Big Ten Championship Game with 9.4 yards per pass attempt.

Smith is a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award as the best receiver in the country. He concluded his regular season with 72 receptions for 942 yards and 11 touchdowns in 11 games, but more than that, his gravity on offense helped open things up for Carnell Tate in his surge to be a clear future first-round draft pick. Tate racked up 44 receptions for 793 yards and eight touchdowns in just nine games during the regular season.

Klare transferred in from Purdue after a breakout 2024 campaign and continued to be one of the Big Ten's best receiving weapons at the tight end position in 2025. He only made third-team All-Big Ten despite gaudy stats last season, thanks to first-round NFL draft picks Tyler Warren (Penn State) and Coleston Loveland (Michigan), but he's a first-team selection on both ballots this year. Klare collected 41 receptions for 420 yards and two touchdowns in the regular season and made significant strides as a blocker in his first year at Ohio State.

Jackson made the second team as a freshman after surging to the top of Ohio State's running back depth chart and racking up 953 yards on just 151 carries (6.3 yards per carry) and five touchdowns.

The Buckeyes' five starting offensive linemen earned their recognition by keeping Sayin upright and improving in the ground game throughout the year. Only one team, the run-heavy Army, has fewer sacks allowed than Ohio State this year, which has surrendered only six. OSU is 36th nationally in yards per carry (4.8) and recently dominated Michigan with its ground game to take the air out of the ball in the second half of The Game.

Tight end Will Kacmarek also picked up honorable mention All-Big Ten recognition, mainly for his blocking prowess. He added nine receptions for 120 yards and two scores.