Two superstar Buckeyes win weekly Big Ten honors after win over Nittany Lions

Ohio State’s pounding of Penn State by a score of 38-14 saw the Nation’s top-ranked Buckeyes sitting comfortably at the top of the AP-25 and US LBM Coaches poll once again, in advance of the College Football Playoff’s first official rankings, due out on Tuesday.

It also saw a pair of superstar Buckeyes (8-0, 5-0) nabbing weekly awards in the Big Ten.

As Big Ten Conference Football Players of the Week Presented by IFS.ai honors were announced on Monday, linebacker Arvell Reese was named the Defensive Player of the Week thanks to his performance against the Nittany Lions.

Arvell Reese wreaked havoc in Week 10 😤

📍 @ifs x #PlayerOfTheWeek pic.twitter.com/pYQnANKRQ9
— Big Ten Football (@B1Gfootball) November 3, 2025

Reese shined, posting career highs in tackles (12) and tackles for a loss (2.5), rounding out an incredible Saturday with one quarterback sack. Following Reese’s lead, Ohio State limited Penn State to just 200 yards of total offense for the game, including minus-21 rushing yards and just 60 total yards during the second half.

Reese is currently being widely projected as a first-round prospect for the 2026 NFL Draft, with a chance of being the first off-ball linebacker taken within the first 10 picks since 2020.

On the offensive side of the ball, phenom quarterback Julian Sayin took Freshman of the Week honors, after completing 20 of 23 passes for 316 yards and four touchdowns with zero interceptions. He currently leads the Nation with an unbelievable completion percentage of 80.7%, on pace to break the single-season completion percentage record held by Oregon’s Bo Nix since 2023, at 77.5%.

#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

Sayin’s efforts versus Penn State catapulted him over Alabama’s Ty Simpson and Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza, becoming the odds-on favorite (+175) to win the Heisman Trophy at DraftKings Sportsbook, BET MGM and ESPNBET, among others.

This was the fourth time during the season in which Sayin captured Freshman of the Week honors.

The other winners of Big Ten honors for Week 10 were Illinois’ quarterback Luke Altmyer and Michigan’s running back Jordan Marshall as co-offensive players of the week, and USC’s kicker Ryon Soyeri as special teams player of the week.

Previously, defensive end Caden Curry was the Big Ten’s Defensive Player of Week for Week 5, while Sayin had been recognized as Offensive Player of the Week for Week 8, for the Buckeyes.

Ohio State’s next stop is a November 8th matchup in Ross-Ade Stadium against Purdue (2-7, 0-6). The reigning National champions are looking to make school history by winning the school’s first back-to-back titles.