Julian Sayin and Jeremiah Smith were given Big Ten Preseason Honors, making Ohio State one of four schools to have multiple honorees.
With Big Ten Media Days in full swing, the 2026 preseason honors were released this week, featuring just 12 athletes from seven schools. Ohio State is one of four schools with multiple honorees (OSU, Oregon, Indiana, and Rutgers), as Jeremiah Smith and Julian Sayin both made the list.
Jeremiah Smith, entering his third season as a starter, likely has the loftiest expectations of any wide receiver in Ohio State history. Smith is widely considered the best player in college football regardless of position. With 2,558 yards receiving and 29 total touchdowns, Smith is on pace to shatter records at OSU and beyond.
Compounded with the record-breaking expectations is the strong possibility that he ends up in New York as a Heisman finalist. Another potential Heisman candidate for OSU is the man who plays under center alongside Jeremiah- Julian Sayin.
Sayin, who set the FBS record for completion percentage (77%) in 2025 and finished fourth in Heisman voting, enters 2026 with lofty expectations of his own. The San Diego gunslinger also finished last season with 3,610 yards passing along with 32 touchdowns in his first year as a starter.
Despite the accolades and numbers, Sayin and OSU fell short of expectations at the end of the season. Coming into fall, Sayin has packed on about 10 pounds and made using his legs a priority moving forward. If he’s able to take the next step as he expects to, it will be critical for the Buckeyes in navigating what is possibly the toughest schedule in the country.
Sayin and Smith undoubtedly share the burden of expectation, but the ability to meet or exceed such expectations is well within their capabilities. Both former high-touted five-star prospects, this kind of pressure is nothing new for the duo. The potential is endless as Julian fine-tunes his game and Jeremiah enters historic territory. By joining an elite list of players in arguably the best and deepest conference in college football, it’s hard to dispute that.
After three straight seasons producing a national champion, the Big Ten Conference shoulders its own standard to uphold in 2026. Ohio State leads the conference in those championship standards, especially after going winless in the postseason just a year ago. With the cleveland.com preseason media poll voting Ohio State at No. 1 in the conference, the Buckeyes are positioned to get their chance at redemption.
NEXT: Read Full Ohio State Football Schedule Preview 2026; 3 Games That Define the Buckeyes Season
Grant Kincaid was born in Columbus, Ohio, and raised in Dayton. He serves as Creative Director and basketball contributor at The Silver Bulletin. At one point, Grant, a collegiate baseball player, also holds a B.A. in Management and Leadership Studies. Aside from the Buckeyes, he is an avid supporter of both the Cincinnati Reds and Bengals. His favorite Buckeyes include Braxton Miller, AJ Hawk, and Ted Ginn Jr.