For Julian Sayin, his first season as a starter couldn’t have been any better. 19 touchdowns, with an 88.4 QB rating, the Buckeyes QB is rolling smoothly with an undefeated record so far. His stock is rising, and so is his NIL value.

After a sweet win over Wisconsin, Julian Sayin has a major spike on his NIL portfolio. Presently, his NIL ranking on On3 lists his valuation at $2 million, with another $793k spike in the span of 10-week NIL growth. A jaw-dropping 64% jump.

Back in August, On3’s Pete Nakos had tweeted, “Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin, who got the starting nod against Texas earlier this week, will make $1.5 million this season, a source told On3.” He is part of the NIL 100 club, ranked No. 2o, with Arch Mannning topping the NIL charts with a valuation of $4.7 million.

Julian Sayin has partnered with The Foundation Collective, which is an Ohio State-driven NIL collective that also has Jeremiah Smith and Caleb Downs on board. His first endorsement came through with Panini America. He signed a multi-year deal with the licensed collectible brand.

Another deal was with Thrive. In September, he announced his partnership with the housing community Thrive, which has plenty of complexes and facilities in Columbus. “Living at Thrive puts me close to everything I need. Looking for an apartment in Columbus? Explore thrivescos.com for options and availability,” he wrote on Instagram

Two weeks ago, he did another collab with Giant Eagle and NCH Foundation, talking about their lip-smacking hot honey BBQ chips. “My Hot Honey BBQ chips are now available at @gianteagle stores in Columbus and online,” he wrote on Instagram. “This isn’t just about great taste; a portion of every purchase helps the incredible team at the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Burn Center. Pick some up today for your tailgate or watch party! @nchfoundation @nationwidekids.”

But his football journey and experience are an accumulation of hard work and grit since he was a kid. “I’ve worked hard to get here,” he said per On3. “My coaches have worked hard to prepare me for this moment. My family has prepared me. I’ve been around the game for a long time, from being around my brother. He got me prepared for all of this.” His brother, Aidan, was a starting quarterback for Penn State.

All that grit has certainly molded him into one of the elite quarterbacks this season, with his name popping up in the Heisman conversation.

Julian Sayin enters Heisman conversation

Kirk Herbstreit and Joey Galloway believe that Sayin should be included in the Heisman conversation. “Julian Sayin is in that conversation as well,” Galloway said. Herbstreit replies with, “He sure is.” According to BetMGM, Sayin holds +400 odds, just below Bama’s QB Ty Simpson and Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza.

Even OSU Legend Bobby Carpenter praised the quarterback, following the win on Saturday. “It’s about as flawless a performance and game as you’re going to get,” he wrote on X.

Over the weekend, for his performance against Wisconsin, a dominant 34-0 win, the Big Ten awarded him with a prestigious honor. He was awarded the Player of the Week honor after completing 36-of-42 of his passes for 393 yards, with four touchdowns.

In the Big Ten, he ranks second in passing yards. In addition to that, he has been honored with the Shaun Alexander Freshman Player of the Week for OSU’s 11th consecutive victory. And his list of accolades is not limited to this. Over the past seven weeks, he has clinched: Three Big Ten freshman of the week honors (after the Grambling, Minnesota, and Wisconsin games), one Big Ten offensive player of the week honor (Wisconsin), and three Davey O’Brien Award Great 8 honors (Grambling, Minnesota, and Wisconsin). And there is still a lot of season left for Sayin to continue making his case.