Malachi Toney put up record numbers, became the engine of the offense, and helped push Miami into the College Football Playoff. On Tuesday, though, Toney came up just short of a national trophy, as Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin won the 2025 Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award.
The timing is almost too perfect as Miami and Ohio State are set to meet Wednesday night in the CFP quarterfinal at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic.
The finalists were Toney, Sayin, Alabama cornerback Dijon Lee Jr., Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr and North Texas quarterback Drew Mestemaker.
Ohio State QB Julian Sayin named winner of Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award, presented to the outstanding freshman player in college football
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) December 30, 2025
Ohio State QB Julian Sayin wins Freshman of the Year Award
Sayin threw for 3,323 yards with 31 touchdowns and six interceptions, while completing an FBS-best 78.4% of his passes. He was also named a Heisman Trophy finalist.
Toney finished the regular season with 84 receptions for 970 yards and seven touchdowns, setting the program's freshman single-season receiving yards record.
There is some controversy over the award
The Shaun Alexander Award has been given annually since 2018 and is named after the former Alabama and Seattle Seahawks star. This season, the discourse around the award has been different. Miami fans were quick to point out that the award isn't for just true freshman, despite that being the spirit of the award.
While Toney is a true freshman — and was actually 17 years old when the season began — Sayin is 20 years old and early enrolled at Alabama back in 2023 prior to transferring and redshirting at Ohio State in 2024. Now, it might be good to note that Shaun Alexander redshirted in his first year at Alabama (if that matters).
Regardless, the decision is final and if the Hurricanes are going to keep their run alive, Toney will need to play well against Ohio State.