I know there was a lot of frustration with OSU's red zone performance and the untimely turnovers, but there was a lot to like, and three games gives us a trend for some of our newest heroes in Scarlet and Gray. Here are my thoughts on the top 5 players of the game who are not JJ Smith (for obvious reasons) in no particular order:

• Arvell Reese: A one-man wrecking crew, Reese does it all. He's strong enough to bull rush interior D-linemen, twitchy enough off the edge to terrify QBs on dropbacks, and surprisingly sticky in pass coverage. He's the LB version of Malik Hooker, and I fully anticipate that he, too, will be a one-and-done high draft pick. I'm going to enjoy watching him dominate this year--while the LB room was outstanding last year (Cody Simon's leadership cannot be understated), I have to think back to Ryan Shazier or Darron Lee to remember a linebacker crew at OSU so athletic and dominant as to singlehandedly affect the flow of a game.

• Bo Jackson: CJ Donaldson is excellent in pass protection and rarely goes backwards, making him a solid short-yardage/third down back, but he's never shown the type of shiftiness or gamebreaking speed we got spoiled by during the Henderson era. Peoples has potential, but he similarly hasn't shown much burst in his limited opportunities. Enter Bo Jackson, who has now put multiple big play runs on his game tape. I know he's got a lot of work to do in pass pro, as a receiver, and in game preparation, but Jackson has both escapability and the penchant to run through tackles that I'm not seeing from our current starting RB tandem. The sooner we get young Bo up to speed in the system, the better our offense will be for it. His emergence is the most exciting development I've seen at a position with a lot of question marks going into the year.

• Kayden McDonald: For all our talk about the interior DL being the weakness of the team, McDonald has firmly answered the bell. The man is arguably the best player on the defensive line and is consistently making TFLs, sacks, and TOs happen even while playing the least glamorous spot as the 1-tech and constantly eating double teams. I love that Matt Patricia is mixing things up in the front to give him a breather every now and then, as the depth behind him is still a work in progress, but he's allowed much of the Buckeye faithful to sleep at night after the Spring Game debacle gave us all palpitations about the DT situation.

• Jaylen McClain: I know he got lost on the one TD we allowed against the Bobcats, but it cannot be understated how important the ascension of McClain has been for the defense, as it has allowed Caleb Downs to basically roam the entire field to claim souls and take names while knowing the backfield is in good hands. One of my fears for 2025 was that losing Lathan and Hancock would force us to play Downs back in the FS position again as an eraser, but McClain has filled in marvelously. The level of competition for the air defense will ratchet up in the coming weeks, but so far, so good for the redshirt freshman. Also, that big hit he laid deserves to be a in a textbook of how to decleat a man without targeting.

• Carnell Tate: Tate would easily be WR1 on literally every single other CFB team not named Ohio State, and his contributions simply cannot be understated. He quietly goes about his business, making absolutely insane acrobatic catches and arguably displaying even stickier hands than JJ. We as OSU fans or so incredibly lucky to have this guy on our roster, and I want to give him some love because he made a personal choice (rather than an understandable business decision) in turning down a barge worth of NIL$ and the opportunity to be THE GUY elsewhere this offseason.

Honorable Mentions:

- Caden Curry: This man's motor just won't stop, and if there were a position called "interior rusher in obvious passing downs", Caden would be an All-American for it. If he could figure out how to translate this ability as an edge rusher, Curry would be the complete package.

- Austin Siereveld, Luke Montgomery, and Phillip Daniels: On an offense primarily known for splashy WR play from South Florida Express and a cucumber-cool gunslinger from California, our lunchpail-packing Ohio boys just get the job done. Roses too to Austin and Phillip for being first-time starters at OSU at their respective positions and locking down the edges with little to no fanfare.