Just like that, it’s all over. This post-mortem is going to be in 3 parts, this post which recaps the positives, a second part that goes over the negatives, and a final part that outlines the path forward. Because, to be honest, I feel like they all have to be separate. This season and the trajectory of the program are extremely difficult to lump together. And, frankly, I’m still conflicted about both topics.

The Whole

This season, unequivocally, was a success for Ohio State. The season preview I posted was up and down on the prospects for the season. I was right, wrong, and wildly wrong, all at once. And, unlike most of your favorite sports writers, I'll admit it.

What was I most wrong about? The course of the season. If you had told me Ohio State would only have 2 losses going into the national tournament, and had won two Big Ten titles, I'd have called you a liar. And insane. I did not see that type of season coming. I saw, at best, a marginal improvement over last year, mostly as a result of some easier scheduling in the nonconference. The Buckeyes turned over more than half its roster. The offense last year was nothing to write home about. Some offensive depth pieces were added, in my view at the time, but nothing really jumped out in terms of the personnel additions. The pieces just didn’t seem to add up to something special as I looked at it prior to the opening faceoff.

If I had to put my finger on the biggest factor in making the season so much better, it would be continuity in the places that mattered. The offensive coordinator was the same for the first time in ages. Most of the top scorers (6 of the top 8) came back. Defensively, everyone came back, except the short stick midfielders.

And, honestly, the change in defensive midfield helped. The Buckeyes drastically improved in that area, which helped them take a big step forward when it came to results, Interestingly, the DIII All American who came in via the portal did not particularly impact the team one way or the other.

Another area I highlighted as concerning was the offense, which turned out to be pretty successful on the whole. I will maintain forever my contention that Jack McKenna was put into an absolutely horrible spot by becoming a ball carrier, but otherwise every move the staff made on offense paid off.

Garrett Haas became the quarterback Ohio State has desperately needed. He would have had Chris Gray-like numbers if he was playing Boston’s schedule instead of some of the best defenses in college lacrosse. The transfers hit almost to a man. Griffin Turner added a dodging element in midfield the Buckeyes haven’t had in years, and his team-leading 18 assists were critical.

Ryan Donnery started almost every game at attack, scoring 19 goals this year. Wrinkles on offense were added that worked very, very well (see Maryland, game 2) on the whole. Depth was out of this world. The talent, when it mattered most, just didn’t have the juice needed.

When I mention the improved offense, it’s important to understand just how much better the Buckeyes actually were. In 2025, the Buckeyes finally eclipsed the 12 goals per game mark (12.29). That’s not good enough to win a title (13+ on average), but a marked improvement over the 10.53 goals per game that were scored in 2024.

The 2023 mark was just 11.29 goals per game. Scoring 1.7 goals more per game with 2 bunch of new faces is certainly something to be happy about. Ohio State got to .323 shooting this season, which is exactly where you want to be on offense. The shot on goal percentage was 61.9%, the best Ohio State has done, well, ever? I mean, that’s ELITE shooting any way you slice It. Ohio State even got over 200 goals (209) this season, which hadn’t been done since 2017, WhEN it took the Buckeyes 21 games to get 238 goals.

Goalie was utterly outstanding, despite the extremely odd personnel choice at the start. It’s been clear for ages that Caleb Fyock is Ohio State’s best goalie, and arguably the best goalie in the country. He garnered First Team All-American honors this season, saving 61% of his shots over 17 games.

I know Coach Nick Myers likes to prove points, but I’m baffled as to what he’s trying to prove starting a clearly inferior option at the start of each year. This season, it probably cost them a 2-seed, given how penalized they were for the Utah loss. The ship was quickly righted, since Fyock started the rest of the season. But I sure was wrong about it at the start.

Enough about what I was wrong about, which worked well. Let’s get to what I correctly predicted, that also ended in positive results. I said the defense would be good if Bobby van Buren was healthy. He stayed healthy all season, and the defense was good. Really good! Van Buren even garnered First Team All-American honors! It was great! There was only one category where the Buckeyes were poor, and that was in shot on goal percentage. Elite teams keep opponents under 60%. The Buckeyes allowed 61% on the season. As we all saw against Notre Dame, that’s going to be a problem. It also showed just how dependent Ohio State was on Fyock’s stopping a huge number of shots.

Wrapping Up

Ohio State had its best season in a long, long time. Eight years. Seven seasons, if you’re a pedantic freak like me. The disaster of a tournament game Is a gigantic black mark on the year, certainly. Getting curbstomped 15-6 in your own house is inexcusable. That shouldn’t take away from the fact that Ohio State finally, finally got to the level they should be at year in and year out. Blowing out Virginia, winning in South Bend, beating Denver, defeating Penn State and Johns Hopkins on the road, and a miracle comeback against the Wolverines is an absolutely exhilarating season. Winning not one but TWO Big Ten championships? Priceless.

In terms of tangible success, the absolute zenith of Buckeye lacrosse is now the 2025 season. The 2017 year was magical because of the run to the national title game. But as | mentioned before, what did the Buckeyes actually win? Not a damn thing. No titles. No trophies. A nice consolation banner. But nothing more. That team, as fantastic as it was, was a champion of nothing.

Now, there’s actual hardware in the trophy case. Hardware that no one can ever take away. YOUR Ohio State Buckeyes beat every single one of their conference rivals this season, only losing once in seven Big Ten games. That is outstanding. | have maintained for a long, long time that these should be expectations, not once in a lifetime events, Next up is regularly being a NCAA tournament participant.

Realistically, this Ohio State team was, unequivocally, the best that the school has ever fielded. Warts and all, these Buckeyes deserve to be remembered fondly for the rest of time. You and I witnessed history unfold game after game. A horrible loss to start the year was washed away by win after win. We saw these players sweat and bleed for each other week after week.

Blowouts, insanely memorable comebacks, championships. This season quite literally had it all. As with all seasons that don’t end in national titles do, we have been left wanting more. But, now that it’s all done and dusted, we have to give the appropriate kudos to all parties.

The coaching staff did an excellent job taking virtually the same starting lineup they had in 2024 and wringing every bit of talent they could out of it. Personnel additions, nearly universally, worked. Offense was literally the best in the Big Ten, statistically. Defense was really good. A lack of postseason experience really hurt them, but that will have to come with time in the tournament.

Put simply, the only way Ohio State could have had a better season in 2025 was to make a serious run at win ning the national title. This was a great year, a great team, and they all deserve to be celebrated for their accomplishments.

Go Buckeyes!