The value of homegrown talent was on full display in Ohio State’s season-opening win over Texas.
Eight of Ohio State’s 22 starters against the Longhorns – four of their five offensive linemen, both of their starting linebackers and two of their starting defensive backs – grew up in the Buckeye State. And all of them played pivotal roles in the Buckeyes’ 14-7 win over their No. 1-ranked opponent.
Linebacker Arvell Reese (Cleveland) and cornerback Jermaine Mathews Jr. (Cincinnati) were the Buckeyes’ two biggest stars of the game; Reese recorded nine tackles, including a third-down sack, another third-down stop and a fourth-down stop, while Mathews picked off Arch Manning and had another pass breakup amid a stellar day in coverage. Team captain Sonny Styles (Pickerington) had a five-tackle day to start a season in which he’s expected to be one of college football’s best linebackers, while his brother Lorenzo Styles Jr. (also from Pickerington) excelled in his first game as Ohio State’s starting nickelback, making seven tackles and allowing just one catch against his coverage.
On the other side of the ball, left tackle Austin Siereveld (Liberty Township), left tackle Luke Montgomery (Findlay), right guard Tegra Tshabola (West Chester) and right tackle Phillip Daniels (Cincinnati) led an offensive line that didn’t allow a single sack to Colin Simmons and Texas’ vaunted defensive line.
Assuming all of them remain in the starting lineup all season long – which seems likely, barring injuries, based on how they played in the opener – Ohio State will have more in-state starters this season than it’s ever had previously in the Ryan Day era. In Day’s first six years at Ohio State, the Buckeyes never previously had more than seven players from the Buckeye State in their primary starting lineup for the season. 2018 was the last time Ohio State had eight starters from Ohio for the majority of the season.
Those starters weren’t the only Ohioans who made significant contributions for the Buckeyes against Texas. Will Smith Jr. (Dublin) gave Ohio State quality play off the bench at defensive tackle, receiving the second-highest grade from Pro Football Focus among all Buckeyes for the game. C.J. Hicks (Dayton) made one of the game’s biggest plays in his first game as a defensive end, hitting Manning to force him into a checkdown on 4th-and-5, allowing Caleb Downs to make the victory-clinching tackle late in the fourth quarter.
THE BUCKEYE DEFENSE SHUTS DOWN TEXAS ON 4TH DOWN... AGAIN @ohioStatefb pic.twitter.com/W9ziVhZYc5
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) August 30, 2025
Several other Ohioans could also be candidates to earn roles as the season progresses. Malik Hartford (West Chester) didn’t play any defensive snaps against Texas, but is the Buckeyes’ top backup safety and could work his way onto the field in situational packages as Matt Patricia mixes things up defensively over the course of the year. Bo Jackson (Cleveland) is Ohio State’s No. 3 running back and could push for snaps in the RB rotation as he gains experience in his freshman year, especially with the Buckeyes’ running game needing a spark after they ran for just 77 yards against Texas. Joshua Padilla (Huber Heights) is one of the Buckeyes’ top two backup offensive linemen alongside Texas native Ethan Onianwa.
The in-state Buckeyes take pride in representing their state every time they put on an Ohio State uniform.
“It's a cool thing to know the whole state, we're from here, and we're really repping this team,” Daniels said Wednesday.
While Ryan Day’s program recruits top talent from all over the nation, Ohio State has gone back to recruiting the Buckeye State a bit more heavily in recent years. The Buckeyes have signed eight scholarship players from Ohio in each of their last three recruiting classes, and already have commitments from seven Ohioans in the 2026 class. By comparison, Ohio State signed more than six scholarship players from Ohio just once from 2017-22 (nine in 2020).
Those numbers don’t include Daniels or Lorenzo Styles Jr., who transferred to Ohio State after starting their college careers elsewhere (Daniels at Minnesota, Styles at Notre Dame), but Ohio State capitalized upon their in-state ties to lure them to Columbus when they decided to enter the transfer portal after establishing themselves as OSU-caliber players elsewhere.
Identifying and landing top players within state borders will always be a crucial component of Ohio State’s recruiting strategy, and if the season opener was any indication, it appears set to pay major dividends for the Buckeyes this season, particularly on the back seven of the defense and the offensive line.
