Julian Sayin wins Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award

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In an unsurprising but still very impressive decision, Julian Sayin has been announced as the prestigious Shaun Alexander Freshman of the year.

The award, announced by the Maxwell Football Club, is given to the best freshman (true or redshirt) in the nation each year. The Maxwell Club is the same group that decides the Maxwell and Bednarik Awards, among others.

The award is relatively new, as college football awards go (it was first given out in 2018), but it is still widely respected as prestigious and is the only major award of its kind, specifically given to a freshman. There is no surprise it went to Sayin, of course, as he was a finalist for major player of the year awards like the Heisman Trophy and Maxwell Award, the only freshman on those lists.

Sayin is the first Buckeye to win the award in its eight-year history (though the fact that it went to Colin Simmons of Texas over Jeremiah Smith last year should have raised serious issues with the award’s legitimacy). However, he is the second current Buckeye on the roster to win the award, as Caleb Downs won it as a freshman from Alabama in 2023.

Sayin beat out Malachi Toney of Miami, among others, for the award. Toney and Sayin will face off Wednesday evening in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal at the Cotton Bowl.

This article originally appeared on Buckeyes Wire: Julian Sayin wins Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award

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