Heisman hopefuls Sayin, Manning face off

AUSTIN, Texas — Arch Manning's 2025 Heisman Trophy campaign started and ended with a rocky season-opening loss at Ohio State. Over in the Buckeyes' huddle, Julian Sayin's first career start launched a standout season that found him, not Manning, among the Heisman finalists last December. Those two face off again Saturday when No. 1 Ohio State (1-0) meets the No. 4 Longhorns (1-0) in Austin. The blockbuster rematch could very well set the narrative for both players and teams for the rest of the season. After struggling against Ohio State, Manning evolved from a shaky passer to a starring one some now project as the possible No. 1 pick in the 2027 NFL draft. Sayin grew from game manager to team leader in taking the Buckeyes to the College Football Playoff. He also projects as a likely first round pick if he enters the draft after this season. The runup to the rematch has spent a lot of time looking back at where the two quarterbacks started and how far they've come come in the year since the Buckeyes roughed up the Longhorns. Manning would rather look ahead. "Not a lot of good memories from a year ago," said Manning this week. "I'm hoping to have a good game this week... I feel like I'm a year better." Manning's first season as the full-time starter was far from the bust some were calling it by midseason. He was getting punished behind an offensive line that couldn't protect him. Manning took a beating from the Buckeyes and it shaped the national opinion about the latest prodigy from the Manning football family. Eventually the spotlight moved on. Instead of torching Manning, it shifted somewhere else as Texas started grinding out wins. The Longhorns went 7-1 to finish the season and pummeled Michigan in the Citrus Bowl. "He went through the battles and struggles," of last season, Texas' preseason All-America tackle Trevor Goosby said. Manning starred in the bowl game, passing for 221 yards and running for 155 yards. His 60-yard touchdown run was the highlight of the game. In a season where Texas started No. 1 then fell out of the rankings after a 3-2 start, the Longhorns finished 12th. The Longhorns quickly turned their eyes to the Ohio State rematch on home turf. Texas coach Steve Sarkisian built a powerhouse offensive lineup through the transfer portal, adding playmakers Cam Coleman at receiver and Hollywood Smothers and Raleek Brown in the backfield. Manning passed for 305 yards and four touchdowns in a season-opening 59-7 win over Texas State. His only blips were a first-half interception and a trip, fall and faceplant in the pregame sprint out of the smoky stadium tunnel. The blooper video quickly made the rounds on social media. "It's hard to see in that smoke," Manning joked. "It was good to get my first hit before the game started, get ready to roll." Sayin was a five-star recruit out of high school. But his name isn't Manning, so he wasn't the star going into the Texas matchup last season. But Sayin carries his own heavy load of playoff and Heisman expectations into Saturday. Sayin passed for 3,610 yards and 32 touchdowns with eight interceptions last season and his 77% completion rate ranked third in NCAA history. He won the Shaun Alexander National Freshman of the Year award and finished fourth on the Heisman ballot. He is the only player among last season's top four finalists to return this year. In the Buckeyes' season opener, Sayin passed for 320 yards and three touchdowns and ran for a score in a 56-3 win over Ball State. He'll get tested Saturday by Texas All-American edge rusher Colin Simmons, a crowd in excess of 100,000 and late summer Texas heat that could have temperatures still in the 90s by the 6:30 p.m. local kickoff time. A California native, Sayin should be able to hack the Southern heat. "As a quarterback, you have to stay even-keeled and be the calm in the storm." said Sayin this week. Sarkisian said he expects both quarterbacks to be at the top of their game Saturday. "You see the level of confidence both guys are playing with. What you notice is the presence in the pocket and the confidence in using their legs," Sarkisian said. "Should be pretty high-level quarterback play."