Analyst crushes Julian Sayin's Heisman chance due to Ohio State's dominance

An ESPN analyst believes that Ohio State's quarterback, Julian Sayin lacks the necessary drama during his games to secure the Heisman Trophy.

Nov 8, 2025; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Julian Sayin (10) looks on during the first quarter against the Purdue Boilermakers at Ross-Ade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images | Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

The Ohio State Buckeyes have been one of the top teams in the country all season, and their dominance is becoming a hot topic of conversation.

However, people aren’t exactly showering Ohio State with praise for dominating the competition; in fact, it's quite the opposite.

One of the major talking points surrounding the Buckeyes is quarterback Julian Sayin's performance, and at the moment, he appears to be the frontrunner for the Heisman Trophy.

However, ESPN's Pamela Maldonado thinks the Buckeyes are too good for Sayin to win the award.

"The gist is that Ohio State winning alone is not enough," Maldonado said on Thursday. "Voters need to feel something and right now he has zero emotional imprint on the season. He's efficient, clean, and technically superior, but where's the drama?"

ESPN's Pamela Maldonado on Julian Sayin's Heisman case:

"The gist is that Ohio State winning alone is not enough. Voters need to feel something and right now he has zero emotional imprint on the season. He's efficient, clean, and technically superior, but where's the drama?" pic.twitter.com/mlE9cVOPBo

— The Silver Bulletin (@tSilverBulletin) November 14, 2025

Winning the Heisman Trophy shouldn't be about drama; it should go to the best player in the sport. Right now, considering how well Sayin is playing and how he is leading the Buckeyes to an impressive 9-0 record, he deserves to be the favorite for the award.

Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza might have had the best Heisman moment of the season last week on the road against a struggling Penn State team. He led the Hoosiers on a late-game winning drive, delivering a spectacular touchdown pass to receiver Omar Cooper Jr., who made an incredible catch in the back of the end zone, managing to get a foot down just in time.

Outside of the game-winning drive, Mendoza struggled, finishing the game with just 218 passing yards, one touchdown and one interception.

Sayin played against the same Penn State team the week before and put on a show, throwing for 316 yards and four touchdowns. However, because Sayin 'didn't have drama, he shouldn't win the Heisman'.

It's not Sayin's fault that the Buckeyes are better than every team they have played so far and can win games easily.

Sayin is going to have critical games to showcase his skills, starting with the last week of the regular season on the road against Michigan, and possibly a week later in the Big Ten title game against Indiana.

If the Buckeyes win both games and Sayin plays well, then he should win the Heisman, depending on how other frontrunners for the award perform over the next four weeks.

Sayin will have a chance to boost his stats on Saturday when the Buckeyes take on UCLA.