The 2025 Ohio State football season was one of peaks and
valleys. Entering as the defending
national champions and seeming primed for a run to win a second straight title,
the Buckeyes, who were ranked at the top of the polls from the second week of
the season, crashed and burned late and ended the season on a two-game losing
streak.
The
peaks included sophomore and brand-new starting quarterback Julian Sayin, who
emerged as a Heisman candidate, ultimately finishing as a Heisman
finalist. Sayin ended up having one of
the highest QB efficiency rating in college football, throwing for over 3600
yards and 32 touchdowns against only eight interceptions. Jeremiah Smith entered the season as one of
the best receivers in the country and continued that trend, leading the way
with 87 receptions for 1243 yards and twelve touchdowns. Carnell Tate emerged as the perfect
complement to Smith, with 51 receptions for 875 yards and nine scores. Purdue transfer TE Max Klare added a
different option to the passing attack and delivered 43 receptions for 448
yards and two scores and Brandon Innis proved to be a viable target with 36
catches for 271 yards and three scores.
On the defensive side, Arvell Reese burst on the scene as he made plays
all over the field in racking up 69 tackles, good for second on the team, Sonny Styles led the defense with 82
tackles. Caleb Downs picked up where he
left off in 2024 as a ball-hawking defensive back, with 68 tackles and two
interceptions, while Caden Curry and Kayden McDonald made important
contributions on the defensive line with 66 and 65 tackles respectively. However, there were pitfalls, notably on the
offensive line. Although newcomer Bo
Jackson managed over 1000 yards and C.J. Donaldson showed his tough inside
running, the offensive line was never able to consistently generate success in
their run blocking efforts and fell apart the last two games, giving up ten
sacks in those two games. The defense
was rock solid nearly the entire season, rarely giving up more than one
touchdown per game, but were unable to get off the field at critical times
against Indiana and Miami.
The
transfer portal has now opened and as of this writing, nine players have
announced their intention to enter, starting with WR Bryson Rodgers
announcement on Dec 18. TE Jelani
Thurman followed shortly after the conclusion of the Cotton Bowl, while New
Years Day witnessed the decisions by QB Lincoln Kienholz, RB Sam Dixon, RB
James Peoples, WR Damrion Witten, CB Bryce West and defensive linemen C.J.
Hicks, Dominic Kirks and Logan George. In
addition, outstanding defensive back Caleb Downs will declare for the NFL
draft. As of this writing, Ohio State is
hoping to get the top linebacker in the transfer portal to come here;
Pittsburgh’s Rasheem Biles, who was born and raised in Columbus.
Looking
to next season, not only will there be challenges in improving offensive line
play, but the departure of Brian Hartline leaves quite a void to be filled on
the coaching staff. The Buckeyes pay a
visit to Austin to play Texas the second game and have tough road games at
Indiana and at USC, while Oregon and Michigan come to town. So, the schedule is not an easy one. But the 2025 Buckeyes went further than I
thought they would. At the beginning of
the season, I figured they would go 9-3 after losing many experienced players
off their national championship team. But
these Buckeyes made an impressive run through the regular season. They gutted out an opening win against a top-ranked
Texas team with many new faces in the lineup and ended the regular season
dominating Michigan on their home field.
They defeated seven teams that were in bowls and thanks to new defensive
coordinator Matt Patricia, rebuilt one of the best defenses in 2024 and made it
even better in 2025, while Julian Sayin has developed into one of the best
quarterbacks in the nation with one of the best receiving corps anywhere. So, the team has quite a few exciting, proven
players coming back in 2026.
2025 Ohio State Buckeyes (12-2)(9-1)
14 Texas 7
70 Grambling
State 0
37 Ohio
University 9
24 at
Washington 6
42 Minnesota 3
34 at Illinois 16
34 at
Wisconsin 0
38 Penn State 14
34 at Purdue 10
48 UCLA 10
42 Rutgers 9
27 at Michigan 9
10 Indiana 13 (B1G
Championship)
14 Miami 24 (Cotton
Bowl: CFP Quarterfinal)
