Arch Manning vs Julian Sayin: The First War For the Heisman.

Written By: Daunte Lee Jones

College Football, Film, & MMA Contributor

Arch Manning looking to redeem himself against Ohio State.

Hollywood Smothers adds to the Longhorns offensive firepower.

Julian Saying wants to make his mark against the Texas Longhorns.

Wide Receiver Jeremiah Smith is the best receiver in college football.

Wide Receiver Ryan Wingo returns to stabilize the Texas Longhorns receiving core.

Entering week 2 of the college football season, we may be in for a battle between future Heisman finalists, Arch Manning versus Julian Sayin. Both quarterbacks are going into the game with a narrative surrounding them that they look to overcome. In this battle of blue bloods, we will see the greatest coaching minds in the game collide along with weapons on each side of the field face off. 

Texas comes off a landslide 59-7 victory over in-state rival, Texas State. Led by Arch Manning’s 305 passing yards and 4 passing touchdowns, we’d see many notable longhorn contributors on offense. Ryan Wingo flies out the gate with 121 receiving yards and 1 receiving touchdown, putting himself in the race for the Fred Biletnikoff Award. Wide receiver Cam Coleman jumps ship from a sinking Auburn program and proves to be a contributor in this game with his threat for explosive plays, relieving pressure from Wingo. Hollywood Smothers also makes an impact coming from NC state aiding the Longhorn in creating an unpredictable but balanced attack. 

Coming into this season, Arch Manning undoubtedly has the most to prove out of every athlete in college football. Last year as a redshirt sophomore we watched as Arch took the role as full time starter. While it took a moment for the quarterback to look comfortable in the new role, once he did we watched as he excelled and finished the season with 36 total touchdowns and 3300 passing yards. Now it is time for the Manning to live up to his prestigious bloodline and prove to be a top pick in next year's NFL draft. 

Two defensive players, Ohio State must stay careful of if they want a chance to win this game are edge rusher Colin Simmons and linebacker Rasheem Biles. Throughout his short career Colin Simmons has been a wrecking ball for Texas, earning achievements like the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award and a Second-Team All-American placement.

He is a high-floor player who’s proven to have the ability to get to the quarterback as seen in his last season where he led the SEC in sacks with 12. Rasheem Biles is more of a high ceiling player due to his absurd athletic talent. He is the modern defensive unicorn defensive minded coaches salivate for due to his ability to affect the field at multiple positions. His importance can be compared to a Nick Emmanwori who was deployed by the Seahawks last year to force offenses to limit their playbooks. 

On the other side of the field, we have The Ohio State University coming off a 56-3 beatdown on Ball State. We saw as Heisman finalist Julian Sayin threw for 320 passing yards and 3 passing touchdowns. Two of those touchdowns were caught by two-time Big Ten Receiver of the Year, Jeremiah Smith, who also added 151 receiving yards on the game. Questions of who would replace recently drafted wide receiver Carnell Tate were quickly answered by UTSA transfer Devin McCuin, who had a 97 receiving yard and 1 receiving touchdown outing. The most impressive aspect of the Buckeyes offense came from their rushing duo of Bo and Ja'Kobi Jackson who controlled the game with a combined 166 rushing yards and 2 rushing touchdowns in only 17 attempts.

Julian Sayin enters the year looking to break the glass ceiling placed above him. The final two games of his 2025 campaign against Indiana and Miami may have cemented his place as system quarterback surrounded by star talent. If the former Heisman finalist wants to break away from the narrative, we will have to see Sayin able to make plays when the pressure is high. As a fan of the quarterback I believe he has the framework around him to succeed and follow players like Joe Burrow’s paths rather than a J.J. McCarthy's. 

Ohio State is in the unfortunate position of suffering from their own success due to the litany of defensive talent poached by the NFL in last year's draft. First round talents Arvell Reese, Sonny Styles, and Caleb Downs are a few of the generational athletes the team will be forced to play without. Fortunately, the program has proven to have the ability to develop prospects into starters. One of those prospects is defensive tackle Eddrick Houston, who looks to be the next anchor of the Buckeye’s defense. In this role we have seen players like Kayden McDonald and Tyleik Williams in the past create opportunities for their defenses to succeed. Houston can do the same while adding his dynamic athleticism to become a monster against the run and pass next season.  Linebacker Payton Pierce also returns after playing around 650 snaps in a three-year career. He is expected to take a leadership role and mentor the young players around him while contributing to an easier transition for the new lineup on defense. 

In this battle, the returning talent in Texas’ defense will be tested against the best quarterback and wide receiver duo in modern college football, Julian Sayin and Jeremiah Smith. To whom I’d give the advantage to in this matchup would be Ohio State. Expect for the less experienced in high stake game Longhorns to fold under pressure in a shootout against the Buckeyes that will end 42-38 in Ohio State’s favor. 

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