Julian Sayin and Bo Jackson were two of college football’s best freshmen in 2025.
On Wednesday, the Football Writers Association of America named the Ohio State quarterback and running back as freshman All-Americans.
Sayin, who could be named the FWAA Offensive Freshman of the Year on Thursday, completed an FBS-best 77% of his passes while throwing for 3,610 yards and 32 touchdowns. The Carlsbad, California, native earned Big Ten Freshman of the Year and Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year honors after leading the Buckeyes to a 12–0 regular season, highlighted by a 27–9 win over Michigan in Ann Arbor.
Jackson emerged as Ohio State’s lead running back as a freshman, carrying the ball 179 times for 1,090 yards and six touchdowns. The Cleveland native and Glenville High School product earned second-team All-Big Ten honors and became the fifth freshman in program history to rush for 1,000 yards in a season, joining Robert Smith (1990), Maurice Clarett (2002), J.K. Dobbins (2017) and TreVeyon Henderson (2021).
Both Sayin and Jackson will return to Ohio State in 2026. Retaining Jackson was a significant win for the Buckeyes after reports last week suggested he could enter the transfer portal. With Sayin and Jackson alongside Jeremiah Smith and Brandon Inniss, Ohio State should boast one of the nation’s most dangerous offenses next fall.
