Julian Sayin Named Shaun Alexander Freshman of The Year
12/30/2025 6:22:00 PM | Football
The Maxwell Football Club today announced that Ohio State Quarterback Julian Sayin has been selected as the winner of the 2025 Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award, presented to the outstanding freshman player in college football. For the 5th consecutive year, the award will be presented at the Maxwell Football Club Awards along with several of the other top awards in college and professional football.
Sayin, a Carlsbad, California native, is the first Buckeye to win the award while representing Ohio State and the second active player from the Big Ten to earn the honor, joining teammate Caleb Downs, who captured the prize at Alabama in 2023. During the 2025 season, Sayin delivered an outstanding campaign, finishing with the nation’s highest passer rating and leading the country in completion percentage. He ranked second in the Big Ten and tied for second nationally in passing touchdowns, while also finishing second in the conference in passing yards.
Under his leadership, Ohio State returned to the Big Ten Championship Game for the first time in five seasons and back to the College Football Playoff, where the Buckeyes will look to repeat as national champions. His exceptional performance earned him Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors, selection to the Associated Press All-America Team, and designation as a finalist for the Maxwell Award.
The Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award has been presented to the College Freshman Player of the Year since 2018 and is named in honor of Shaun Alexander, a former standout at the University of Alabama and with the Seattle Seahawks in the NFL. The award Past winners include Trevor Lawrence (Clemson) - 2018, Kenneth Gainwell (Memphis)-2019, Will Anderson Jr. (Alabama) – 2020, Brock Bowers (Georgia) – 2021, Drake Maye (North Carolina) – 2022, Caleb Downs (Alabama/Ohio State) 2023, and Colin Simmons (Texas 2024).
The formal presentation of the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award will be held on Saturday, March 14, 2026, at the Coca-Cola Roxy Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia. The Maxwell Football Club will also be presenting its other national awards from high school through the professional ranks at the event.
Questions concerning the 2025 Shaun Alexander Award can be directed to MFC Executive Director Mark Wolpert, mwolpert@maxwellfootballclub.org or MFC Director of College Awards Rich Cirminiello rcirminiello@maxwellfootballclub.org
ABOUT THE MAXWELL FOOTBALL CLUB – The Maxwell Football Club was founded in 1935 and is the oldest football
organization of its kind in America. The Club recognizes excellence in performance at the high school, collegiate, and
professional levels of the game. The Maxwell Club is also deeply involved and fully vested in the community through
programs to promote academic excellence, community volunteerism, and leadership. High school student-athletes around the country have an opportunity to participate in MFC leadership events, free of charge, through the generosity of our corporate partners, the NFL Foundation, Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP, Coca-Cola Roxy, College Sports Communicators, Kirkland Printing, Omaha Productions, Quinco, The Seiler Group at Raymond James, the ETC Foundation, Vertical Raise, and SRA Inc. To learn more about our story, visit www.maxwellfootballclub.org.
ABOUT THE SHAUN ALEXANDER FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR AWARD - The Shaun Alexander Freshman Player of the Year Award is an honor given each year to the most outstanding freshman player in college football. Named after Shaun Alexander since 2018, this award recognizes the exceptional performance and impact made by these players on their respective teams throughout the season. The winning formula evaluates players based on Talent, Character, Ambassador and Legend.
