$2.4 million QB named No. 2 quarterback after college football season

A quarterback from a major college football program has been named the No. 2 player at the position in 2025.

Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Julian Sayin (10) throws during the Cotton Bowl | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The 2025 college football season is one week in the rearview mirror. A long offseason separates the first games of the 2026 college football season from the College Football Playoff national championship game.

The conclusion of each college football season brings about a time to look back on the action that occurred the previous five months. This can include revisiting old projections for the College Football Playoff made before the season and breaking down individual performances from the season.

Pro Football Focus released its list of the 101 best players in college football during the 2025 season. Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin was one of the names present on the list, ranking as the No. 2 quarterback and No. 6 overall player in the 2025 college football season.

Indiana & Ohio State lead the way with 8 players each🔥

PFF’s Top 101 Players from the 2025 College Football Season⬇️https://t.co/1mYmZsWIse

— PFF College (@PFF_College) January 25, 2026

"Sayin was historically accurate in his first season as Ohio State's starting quarterback. The redshirt freshman completed 77% of his passes, which ranked as the third-highest rate in college football history and narrowly trailed the record set by Bo Nix in 2023 and Mac Jones in 2020 (77.4%)," wrote Max Chadwick. "Sayin's 82.5% adjusted completion rate also ranked fifth in PFF College history."

The 6-foot-1, 208-pounder began his college football career at Alabama. He committed to the Crimson Tide in 2022 and signed his letter of intent on Early Signing Day the following year. Less than a month after Sayin's signing, Nick Saban announced his retirement from coaching, and Sayin entered the NCAA transfer portal.

Sayin transferred to Ohio State in the 2024 transfer portal cycle. He was the backup to Will Howard during the Buckeyes' national championship run, only appearing in four games. He completed five of 12 pass attempts for 84 yards while running for 24 yards on two attempts.

Ohio State named Sayin as its starter for the 2025 season. He guided the Buckeyes to a perfect regular season record, throwing for over 300 yards in six of the 12 games. Despite its strong regular season, Ohio State fell to Indiana (13-10) in the Big Ten Championship game and saw its season come to an end in a Cotton Bowl loss to Miami (24-14).

In total, Sayin passed for 3,610 yards, 32 touchdowns and eight interceptions in his first season as Ohio State's starter. He was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year and All-Big Ten Second Team on a conference level. Nationally, he was named the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year and was one of four finalists for the Heisman Trophy.

Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin (10) looks to throw in the fourth quarter while tackled by Miami defensive lineman Rueben Bain Jr. (4) | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images